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On the Returns DVD, Burton said that he heard people who saw BR thought it was either lighter or darker than B89. Also, almost everyone I have ever talked to said they were turned off by the tone of both B89 and Returns.

Personally I think B89 was somewhat darker than Returns in that the people on the streets looked seedy such as homeless people, drug dealers, hookers, etc. Gotham City in general looked like it wreaked of corruption and crime and felt so oppressive. The overall tone of the movie was just gritty, as it was supposed to be. The part of the film which I would argue is the darkest is the scene where Bruce recalls the murder of his parents. This to me is the heart of the picture as well as the character.

As for Returns, it was darker in that the look was more black. Stefan Czapsky said it best when he quoted a film critic who said Returns looked like it was shot in an ink well. I did think that some of the locations of Returns looked just as seedy as B89 such as the churchyard where the Penguin visits, the alley where the Catwoman attacks that mugger, the street where Batman lands after gliding off that building, the alley where Batman looses the cops via Batmissile, and the background of the street where Batman knocks Catwoman off the roof into that kitty litter truck.

I would say Returns is lighter in contrast to B89 because the people in Gotham City looked more clean and welcoming like in a 1950's movie. Also some of the buildings looked cleaner than the buildings in B89, like the Shreck building and Gotham City Hall. The fact that it takes place at Christmas makes it a little lighter too.

Basically, I think both movies are dark as hell and they both feel like the same city, but if you made me choose which one is darker I'd have to say B89.

I would have Michael Keaton play Batman again. As for Dent going from black to white, I can't really find an answer that is satisfactory. It would just have to be one of those things that you would have to block out of your mind, no disrespect to Mr. Williams. It is still the same character. You could also argue that Bruce's mansion in BR was on what appeared to be a hilltop as opposed to the vast manor on flat land that he lived in from B89. Again, it is still Wayne Manor.

If I were the big boss at WB from 1992-1995, here is what I would have done to secure a superb third Batman film: 

 1. Obviously I would give the job to Burton for director/producer. 

2. I would commission Sam Hamm to write the story and Daniel Waters to write the screenplay, as was the case in BR. 

 3. As for the villain, Two-Face is a must!!! I know that saying this is heresy for many, but I still would have liked Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face. I think that with the right script and direction he would have been perfect, considering that he has played lawyers, cops and lunatics before in his career. I think he is a great actor.

4. I would try to call it something other than "Batman Forever". I think one title that would be cool is "Batman: A Two-Sided Story" even though I stole that from the Two-Face stage from the Sega Genesis version of "The Adventures of Batman & Robin". Other than that, I can only come up with "Batman III" or "Batman Returns Again".

Here is how I see the basic scenario for the film:

I would like the movie to start out similar to how it started in BF, where Two-Face has already been scarred and is causing chaos. I also liked how in BF Two-Face wants to kill Batman because Two-Face, like Batman, should be about revenge as well as duality. I would have Two-Face rob and destroy buildings and addresses in Gotham City with an even number at the end of them as a way to lure Batman. I would also have Two-Face going on a gangster killing spree by first murdering Boss Maroni, then the bosses/gangsters who got off from having to go to jail because they either bribed or threatened jurors, and finally the bosses who, although are bad, did not actually commit the crimes that they were being tried for. Then I would have Two-Face steal their money and give it to the homeless and victims of the mob, similar to "Robin Hood" and Two-Face's first appearance in 1942. While the movie is playing, we will cut to scenes of the pre-scarred Harvey Dent and his relationship with Batman leading up to the courtroom scene when Maroni scars Dent.

If this film were made, we would have never have gotten a B&R!

Being a fan of Burton's Batmans, and to some extent BF, my first favorite period of comics in Batman's history are 1939 to the mid-'50s. This is obviously his golden age when the "Batbible" was established by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, until around 1955 when the comics got stupid no thanks to the Comics Code Authority. My second favorite era is the mid-'80s+ when Frank Miller's DKR and Year One truly brought the comics back to it's pulp roots. What era is your favorite?