Batman Forever Star’s Son Weighs in on the State of DC Comics Movies

In the pantheon of Batman films, one of the more controversial and celebrated is 1995’s Batman Forever, which starred Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader, with Kilmer’s actor son Jack confirming his potential interest in joining a DC Comics film, despite his father only starring in the one adventure. With much of Jack’s resume containing indie films, such as Palo Alto, Lords of Chaos, and his latest, The Giant, it would be understandable to hear that the performer had no interest in superhero cinema, though he praised the accomplishments of filmmakers in that space. The Giant is currently available On Demand.

“Oh yeah. I mean, I would. I’m definitely interested in it,” Kilmer shared with ComicBook.com about his interest in comic book movies. “I love what Christopher Nolan did with The Dark Knight. And now with Joaquin [Phoenix] doing the Joker, it’s just getting so that the envelope is just being pushed constantly, and I’m sure Robert Pattinson’s going to be awesome in [The Batman]. My dad is very inspiring in that way, because he did a superhero movie and it was really successful, but also controversial, and it changed his career. And there’s a reason why these stories and these films are so impactful and so many people respond to them, because you need superheroes now more than ever, in 2020.”

Following Tim Burton’s massively successful Batman and Batman Returns, Joel Schumacher took the director’s chair as Val Kilmer took over the Dark Knight from Michael Keaton for Forever. The film stylistically pushed the whimsical aesthetic that Burton had been exploring to all-new heights, while also borrowing heaping helpings of camp from Adam West’s tenure as the titular character. Additionally, Schumacher aimed to dive deeper into the fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne, which would have given audiences a much more mature take on the character.

Sadly, the studio didn’t entirely agree with Schumacher’s intended vision for the character and his cut was trimmed down to something much more digestible and predictable for audiences. Despite earning big numbers at the box office, the film’s reviews were disappointing compared to Burton’s efforts. Recent years have even seen fans campaigning for a release of Schumacher’s original vision of the film, which some reports claim is nearly three hours long. When Val Kilmer appeared earlier this year at the DC FanDome event, it was speculated it could be in support of the Schumacher cut being released, though no such announcement was made.

The Giant is currently available On Demand. The Batman is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 4, 2022.

Would you like to see the actor take on a superhero role? Let us know in the comments below!