1997 superhero film by Joel Schumacher
Batman & Robin is a 1997 American superhero film based on the DC Comics characters Batman and Robin. It is the fourth and final installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series (1989–1997) and a sequel to Batman Forever (1995). Directed by Joel Schumacher and written by Akiva Goldsman, it stars George Clooney as Bruce Wayne / Batman and Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson / Robin, alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone. The film follows the titular characters as they oppose Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, while struggling to keep their partnership together.
Warner Bros. fast-tracked development for Batman & Robin following the box office success of Batman Forever; Schumacher was given a mandate to make the film more toyetic than its predecessor. Schumacher and Goldsman conceived the storyline during pre-production on A Time to Kill. After Val Kilmer decided not to reprise the role of Batman, Schumacher was interested in casting William Baldwin before Clooney won the role. Principal photography began in September 1996 and wrapped in January 1997, two weeks ahead of the shooting schedule. Batman & Robin is the only film in the initial Batman film series made without the involvement of Tim Burton in any capacity.
Batman & Robin premiered in Los Angeles on June 12, 1997, and went into general release on June 20. It grossed $238 million worldwide against a production budget of $125–160 million, and was a box office disappointment. The film received generally negative reviews from critics and is considered to be one of the worst films ever made. The film's poor reception caused Warner Bros. to cancel future Batman films, including Schumacher's planned Batman Unchained. One of the songs recorded for the film, "The End Is the Beginning Is the End" by the Smashing Pumpkins, won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.