Batman Unchained was the unmade fifth movie in the original franchise, and its ending would have used one of the most enduring images from Christopher Nolan's George Clooney - who hated his Batman performance - its was a disaster.
Apparently, Schumacher originally wanted Batman & Robin to be much darker than Forever, but the studio demanded something even more family-friendly and "toyetic." The movie was still something of a hit despite dreadful reviews, though the studio soon hit pause on Schumacher's planned third entry. Screenwriter Mark Protosevich (I Am Legend) had already been developing a screenplay for the sequel, which was dubbed Batman Unchained. Recalling the project to THR in 2015, the writer recalled that Scarecrow and Harley Quinn were to be the villains, with the latter being reimagined as the vengeful daughter of Jack Nicholson's Joker.
Schumacher had already approached Nic Cage about portraying Scarecrow, while Protosevich met with Courtney Love about Harley Quinn - who Margot Robbie would eventually play. Schumacher was also itching to do a dark, psychological Batman and probe into the demons of Bruce Wayne, and the script featured a showstopper hallucination sequence that would have seen the character put on trial by past villains like Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman, Tommy Lee Jones's Two-Face and Jack Nicholson's Joker. Alas, the project was canceled, and after years of rejected pitches, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins gave the series new life. It also turns out the sequence where Christian Bale's Bruce is swarmed by bats would have been the ending to Batman Unchained.
Batman Unchained Ended With Bruce Swarmed By Bats
In keeping with the Scarecrow's MO as a villain who preys on the fears of his victims, the character sought to get Bruce sent to Arkham Asylum. After defeating him - with some help from Chris O'Donnell's Robin - Batman Unchained's final scene saw Bruce travel to Bali to enter a bat cave. Protosevich recalled reading that certain real-life monks learn to conquer fear by entering a batcave, and this moment was to symbolize Batman had truly overcome his anxieties and doubts. Of course, a similiar version of this sequence appeared in Batman Begins. In this 2005 reboot, young Bruce is left traumatized after being swarmed by bats as a child. Upon revisiting the cave as an adult, instead of being afraid, Bruce embraces the fear and overcomes it.
Protosevich commented on the Batman Begins moment too, stating “Not that this scene was inspired by mine, but it was a similar idea. It was a powerful image.” It appears Batman Unchained would have tied together all the previous films to that point and possibly even served as some kind of finale, but the response to Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin was so vitriolic it was swiftly put on hold.
