- 2 days ago
Chris O'Donnell presents an exclusive inside look at the making of batman forever
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00:00For more information, visit www.fema.gov
00:30Expecting someone else?
00:33Hi, I'm Chris O'Donnell.
00:35The Bat-Signal has been familiar to us for over 55 years.
00:38In 1939, Bob Kane created Batman, a nocturnal superhero
00:42who fights crime and seeks justice
00:44against an array of criminal minds.
00:46Well, tonight we're going to tell you
00:47about the newest incarnation of this legendary crime
00:50fighter in the movie Batman Forever.
00:52Action!
00:53Tonight, an exclusive inside look
00:55at the making of this summer's new epic adventure.
00:58Your entrance was good.
00:59Batman Forever.
01:01His was better.
01:02Action!
01:05But first, let's meet our contestants!
01:09Doing the stunts and you really appreciate the Bat-Suit.
01:12There is actually a reason that he's covered
01:15in 40 pounds of rubber.
01:17Starring Val Kilmer as the Caped Crusader.
01:19Let me try, let me try!
01:20Ball of the fist!
01:21Reach way back!
01:22Reach way back!
01:23Ah!
01:24Ow!
01:25Woo-hoo!
01:26Jim Carrey as a dangerous trickster.
01:28The Riddler.
01:29I thought I looked a lot like Michelle Pfeiffer, actually.
01:31Tommy Lee Jones with a split personality as the villainous Two-Face.
01:35We call it Massacre under the big top.
01:39The pressure doesn't come from the complications of the character.
01:42It comes really from the magnitude of the movie.
01:45The sets are enormous.
01:47Nicole Kidman.
01:48I think I'm the first female character in Batman who gets to kiss Batman.
01:55plays a criminal psychologist who falls in love with Bruce Wayne and Batman.
01:59I'm a part of this whether you like it or not.
02:01And Chris O'Donnell who, as the young acrobat Dick Grayson, sees his family murdered, then
02:07dons his own mask to become Batman's famous sidekick, Robin.
02:11We go behind the scenes with director Joel Schumacher.
02:14I wanted to make a living comic book and this is big.
02:18Somebody did something right when they created Batman.
02:20Schumacher's bright new vision inspired original sets and locations.
02:24When you've got the Batmobile going at 100 miles an hour down Wall Street, that's a pretty
02:27big challenge.
02:28There's incredible new toys and a redesigned Batmobile.
02:31Woo!
02:32Woo-hoo-hoo!
02:33It's a story that began over 50 years ago when Bob Kane created the Batman comic book.
02:38He launched a worldwide phenomenon that would lead to blockbuster movies, an amusement park
02:42ride, a Batman stunt show, and a merchandising empire.
02:45The Batmobile was very cool.
02:47I'd like to take it home, but I don't think that's going to happen.
02:51Tonight's show will be hosted by the actor who co-starred in Scent of a Moment and The
02:55Three Musketeers, Chris O'Donnell.
02:58So, riddle me this.
03:02Why is Batman forever?
03:07Now, riddle me this.
03:08How do you get all these popular actors into one film?
03:11Well, tonight I'll give you the answer to that and many more questions.
03:16This is an amazing vehicle.
03:18Can you imagine being Bruce Wayne, a millionaire, playboy, superhero, and you get to drive this
03:22thing around every day?
03:23Well, this Batmobile is very different from anything you've ever seen before.
03:27It is new wheels that light up with the Bat logo.
03:30And a ribbed body made from the same material as jet fighters.
03:33It's a stylized automotive version of a Bat.
03:36And this single fin here goes back to the Batmobile's first appearance in a 1941 comic book.
03:41The man who gets to drive this incredible machine is Val Kilmer.
03:45He's a familiar face to many, but like this car, he's brand new to Batman.
03:50The one thing I think that's really strong is that he's a human being.
03:51There isn't anything bionic so you can relate to him.
03:56He has no problem being Batman.
04:09And that's really fun to do.
04:11I mean, the character knows what his world is about when he dons the cape and gets into
04:28Batmobile.
04:29And then the things that are most fantastical about Bruce Wayne have to do with basic American
04:35dream ideals.
04:37He's disgustingly wealthy.
04:39He's so wealthy, it never comes up.
04:41He's single.
04:42And what he chooses to do with his free time is fight an impossible battle.
04:48Can I persuade you to take a sandwich with you, sir?
04:51I'll get dressed, sir.
04:53Kilmer!
04:56Background and action!
04:57Val Kilmer's destiny to play the Cape Crusader may have been written at age eight when he
05:01visited the set of the Batman TV series.
05:04I crawled around the Batmobile and walked around the set.
05:07I was in third grade when the first television show aired.
05:11Every single classmate was telling the story all through recess.
05:16And by the end of the day, I had heard it so many times I was acting it out as well.
05:22And then last year, when Kilmer emerged from a research project in the bush country of South
05:26Africa, he called his Hollywood agent and discovered that there had been talk of him being cast as the next Batman.
05:33Well, I asked him, I said, when was it being discussed?
05:36You know, actively, he said whatever the day was and the date, and I figured out the time.
05:42And that particular night, with my partner, we'd slept in a cave full of bats, which I thought was a good sign and pretty entertaining.
05:53This gives us a fresh Batman, and that's exciting.
06:10We're doing the stunts and you really appreciate the Batsuit.
06:13There is actually a reason that he's covered in 40 pounds of rubber.
06:22Action!
06:27We got it.
06:28Good?
06:29Look at that.
06:30Oh, it's beautiful.
06:31The sparks.
06:32You need no padding.
06:34Fell out of the helicopter, you know, bang on the landing pad part of it.
06:38It's a little pad, a little thing.
06:40It's fine.
06:44Action!
06:47Action!
06:50Action!
06:53Only when you get hit in the lips.
06:56Yeah, it's hot.
06:57It's hot in the Batsuit.
06:59Action!
07:00Bravo!
07:01Yes!
07:02Your entrance was good.
07:03His was better.
07:07Roll!
07:08Voice!
07:09Hit!
07:10Mark!
07:11One of the main themes is identity.
07:14Can he have a life without being Batman?
07:17I don't know.
07:18I don't know.
07:19I don't know.
07:20I don't know.
07:21I don't know.
07:22I don't know.
07:23I don't know.
07:24I don't know.
07:25I don't know.
07:26I don't know.
07:27I don't know.
07:28I don't know.
07:29I don't know.
07:30I don't know.
07:31I don't know.
07:32I don't know.
07:33I don't know.
07:34You know, we are...
07:35That's my life without being Batman.
07:36His personal story is mirrored in Dick Grayson's story.
07:38Two against two are better odds.
07:39If we're the same, Bruce, help me.
07:40Alright?
07:41Train me.
07:42Let me be your partner.
07:43It's about as cool as it comes.
07:44His parents die, and he's consumed with revenge.
07:46And it's gotta go his own way.
07:48A friend told me that.
07:49Action!
07:50I need a name. Batboy, Nightwing. I don't know. What do you think? What's a good sidekick name?
07:56I was trying to think the other day of what doesn't happen to him, and the only thing I could come up with is I don't think a hand grenade explodes on him.
08:05Other than that, everything.
08:07The Bat's stubborn refusal to expire is driving us insane!
08:13I'm blown up, walked through fire, submerged in water, buried alive, sealed into a bank vault full of acid. My brain is melted. What else happens?
08:24The real game begins.
08:31That, if you can't tell, is a Riddler, and this cane is one of his favorite weapons. Riddler's bad news for Batman. In fact, he's been tormenting the Caped Crusader since 1948.
08:40Though very popular, the Riddler disappeared from the Batman stories for almost 20 years, before he resurfaced in 1965.
08:48Well now, thanks to Jim Carrey, the Riddler's back in a very big way.
08:53Having become one of the most popular comedic actors in the world, Jim was the perfect choice to play the Prince of Puzzlers.
09:07Riddle me this, riddle me that.
09:10Who's afraid of the big, black pat?
09:16Do you like when I sit like this?
09:19It looks very distinguished, doesn't it?
09:23Who the hell are you?
09:24Just a friend.
09:26But you can call me...
09:27The Riddler.
09:29I thought I looked a lot like Michelle Pfeiffer, actually.
09:35Meow.
09:37Spank me.
09:38He's got a little touch of Fred Astaire, a panache.
09:41A joie de vivre.
09:43Was that over the top?
09:44How come I wasn't Batman?
09:46Yeah, that was it.
09:52I didn't want to be Batman.
09:54That was it.
09:59It's just a great character because it's...
10:01I mean, he starts out, you know, pretty much bonkers.
10:04So, Mr. Nygma, what's on your mind?
10:07Precisely.
10:08What's on all our minds?
10:11Brainwaves.
10:12Edward Nygma, who works for Wayne Enterprises, starts out as a techno-nerd genius with plans to be a bigger and greater electronics mogul than Bruce Wayne.
10:21Two of a kind!
10:22It's about not loving yourself and, you know, seeing somebody who is the guy that you'd love to be and resenting him for it.
10:30You were supposed to understand.
10:33That begins the story of revenge and jealousy and competition that drive him over the edge.
10:40And he becomes the Riddler and a criminal.
10:44Surf's up a kahuna!
10:45But it just takes on different forms and he gets so full of energy and evil power that, you know, you just can't help but love playing that.
10:57It's just, it's just amazing.
11:01Let me demonstrate.
11:03The Riddler teams up with Two-Face to mass-produce a devious, mind-controlling invention.
11:08It's the ultimate juice master.
11:09Basically, it saps the IQ from whoever watches the television that it's hooked up to and redirects the brainwaves into Edward Nygma's skull.
11:22So he's devouring people's IQ.
11:25And so he just becomes a mega-intellect, although he's mad.
11:31One, two, three, action!
11:36With the explosions and stuff, it was me right out there.
11:41I mean, there's stuff exploding all around me.
11:43I was right out there with the blasts.
11:50It was just...
11:51Action.
11:54Let me try, let me try!
11:55The ball's fist.
11:55The ball's fist.
11:56Reach way back.
11:57Reach way back.
11:57Search yourself.
11:58Ah!
11:59Ow!
12:00Woo-hoo!
12:01Lightning in a bottle.
12:02Go ahead.
12:03I love the idea of getting thrown in with some heavyweights.
12:08You can see.
12:09He looks real good covered in question marks.
12:11You're a genius.
12:12Ow!
12:13Stop!
12:14Challenging.
12:15In some respects, it was, you know, unnerving.
12:18Like the jacket?
12:19Keeps him safe while he's jogging at night.
12:21It keeps me safe when I'm jogging at night.
12:25It was just a great chance to go crazy.
12:27And I thought I had a lot of energy.
12:31When we come back, we'll see two sides of Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones as he takes
12:35on the role of Two-Face, Gotham's number one public enemy.
12:38This is no ordinary coin.
12:55One side good, the other bad.
12:57Just like former Gotham district attorney Harvey Dent.
13:01And you might know him as Two-Face.
13:03He first appeared in DC Comics in 1942.
13:05And surprisingly, the character's never been portrayed by a live-action performer.
13:10Until now.
13:12Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones plays this twisted role to perfection.
13:16To help him prepare for the role, Tommy had a little talk with the father of Batman, creator
13:21Bob Kane.
13:22Let's start this party with a man!
13:43Bob Kane, the man who created Batman.
13:55Hi.
13:55Remember, your bird shall have no other wings but that of a bat.
13:59Surprisingly, the inspiration for Batman came from the words and drawings of Renaissance artist
14:04Leonardo da Vinci.
14:05This is Batman's father.
14:07At the age of 13, Batman creator Bob Kane came across the Da Vinci designs for a flying
14:13machine.
14:14And as Kane later said, there it was for me, the Batman.
14:20A living legend.
14:21I really enjoyed Bob Kane's company and he was talking about all of his characters.
14:25And I said, so, so Bob, were you in fact thinking of Jekyll and Hyde when you came up with
14:32Harvey Two-Face?
14:34And he said, brilliant.
14:39Roll!
14:40Common mark.
14:41D mark.
14:42A and B common mark.
14:43And one, two, three, action, Tommy!
14:49The character Harvey Two-Face was formerly known as District Attorney Harvey Dent, a good
14:54guy.
14:55All righty boys, welcome our guest.
14:58But when a Gotham City crime boss threw acid in Harvey Dent's face.
15:02You're going to make my face fall off.
15:04All righty, I'm going to laugh.
15:05Dent was transformed into a fearsome public enemy with a psychotic split personality.
15:11Blind, stupid, simple, doodah, clueless.
15:17Harvey Two-Face is a very complex villain because he is one side good and one side very evil.
15:25If the bat wants to play, we'll play.
15:28And has to flip a coin to decide which one he's going to be.
15:31I will help you solve the greatest riddle of all.
15:34The mother of all riddles.
15:38Who is Batman?
15:40Batman.
15:40His plan is to kill Batman.
15:44Therefore heads, we accept.
15:46And tails, we blow your damn head off.
15:49Usually what he tries to do is set a trap for Batman.
15:57He'll wreck havoc and wait until the bat comes to restore order and try to ambush it.
16:04It was just a great deal of fun to be a comic book villain.
16:14Tonight, a new act for your personal amazement.
16:17We call it Massacre Under the Big Top.
16:20The pressure doesn't come from the complications of the character.
16:24It comes really from the magnitude of the movie.
16:27The sets are enormous.
16:28So, you know, the challenge really came from living with and maintaining this enormous scale.
16:34What the hell do you want, Harvey?
16:36Want, Mr. Mayor.
16:38One simple thing.
16:39Batman.
16:39Bruised.
16:40Broken.
16:40Bleeding.
16:41In a word?
16:41Dead!
16:42I've always had a lot of confidence and I've always been, you know, completely terrified.
16:47And I know that doesn't make any sense, but it's quite true.
16:50So I'm very happy now.
16:51Being an actor is frightening.
16:54Sooner or later, in the course of a day or an hour, something scary will happen.
16:59Cut.
17:00We have it.
17:02I've never done anything like that before.
17:05And it was a new and very happy experience.
17:11Even though Batman's sole purpose is to fight crime and defend against injustice,
17:15he always seems to find time to meet some of the prettiest and most adventurous women in the world.
17:19It's the car, right?
17:21Chicks love the car.
17:22This time it's the brilliant Dr. Chase Meridian.
17:24The good doctor likes Batman and Bruce Wayne likes her.
17:28It's a love triangle with just two people.
17:31And the woman causing all the commotion?
17:33The beautiful Nicole Kidman.
17:34There's a song in the movie called Kiss from a Rose.
17:38A line in the song, You Became the Light on the Dark Side of Me, describes the relationship between Batman and Dr. Meridian.
17:45So to help us with the story, we went behind the scenes with Seal for the making of his new video.
17:50And call me Jake.
18:01By the way, do you have a first name or do I just call you Bats?
18:04She's a criminal psychologist and who happens to have sort of the perfect hair and the perfect makeup and it's all just a bit too perfect.
18:19She's just moved to Gotham City and that's how she first encounters Batman and he knocks her off her feet.
18:26I mean, she can't believe him. He's just absolutely so incredible looking in his Batsuit.
18:33You are interesting.
18:35I throw myself at him unabashedly.
18:47That's a cut. Excellent.
18:49I like the Batsignal, which obviously you're only meant to do if there is a big problem.
18:58But I like the Batsignal because I just want to see him and I want him to see me.
19:03I sort of wear a little black dress with a lot of cleavage.
19:06You called me here for this.
19:08The Batsignal is not a beeper.
19:10Direct, aren't you?
19:19You like strong women. I've done my homework.
19:22Batman is attractive because he lives life on the edge and he seems to be mysterious and she doesn't really know about him.
19:30So in some ways that's very safe for her because she knows she can never really have him.
19:34It's the car, right? Chicks love the car.
19:36It's the car, right? Chicks love the car.
19:40I wish a man can tell you so much he can say.
19:44You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain, baby.
19:52Bruce Wayne comes to visit me and that's how I get introduced to him and I start to help him trying to solve some of the riddles.
20:00I have an appointment.
20:01Riddles.
20:01I'm Bruce Wayne.
20:03Good. Then you can afford to buy me a new door.
20:06Bruce is so upfront and seems to be so together and pursuing her so that is also appealing.
20:21She wants Batman, not Bruce Wayne.
20:24Let the lady decide.
20:25So she's in this kind of catch-22.
20:30Who does she choose?
20:31Nice place to be in.
20:35I think I'm the first female character in Batman who gets to kiss Batman.
20:41I get to kiss Batman.
20:56Don't worry too late.
20:59It was pretty exciting.
21:00I don't like to get stuck in any one genre.
21:10I like to be versatile.
21:12Change the way I look.
21:13Change the way...
21:14Change the characters.
21:16And that's what's appealing to me about acting.
21:19I haven't figured this thing out yet.
21:26This is the Batarang.
21:28One of the reasons I was so excited about playing Robin was that I got to play with all the cool bat gadgets.
21:33Along with the new Batmobile, there's the Batboat, the Batwing, and even the appearance of the Batsub for the first time,
21:40which was totally computer-generated.
21:42This is the new Batgrapple hook.
21:45It's seen a lot of action.
21:49We'll be back with more of the show in just a minute.
22:01I have to admit, playing a comic book superhero was a pretty cool job.
22:05You know, Robin first appeared in Detective Comics in 1940,
22:08and has been the source of some controversy since the beginning.
22:12Where did Robin come from, and does Batman really need a crime-fighting partner?
22:15I think we've put those questions to rest.
22:21Working with all these actors and director Joel Schumacher was a blast.
22:25I still remember all the Batman toys I had as a kid.
22:28After all, one of the reasons Batman has endured is that it appeals to all of us, regardless of our age.
22:34One time...
22:36Excuse me.
22:37I gotta go.
22:38Crime-fighter's job is never finished.
22:43I've always wanted to say that.
22:45Good night.
22:51Batman, I'll be right there.
22:53I was doing a show.
22:55Yeah, I said some good things about you.
22:56Now, I didn't tell him who you really are.
22:59Hey, do you plan on using the Batboat next weekend?
23:01Great.
23:14I've always wanted to do it.
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