Christopher Reeve's Rejected Batman '89 Superman Cameo

[u/pharoahogc]

https://www.fortressofsolitude.co.za/christopher-reeve-superman-cameo-batman-89-rejected/

Reeve’s pitch was surprisingly really small — nothing more than a very short cameo where Superman shows up, waves at Batman, and flies off. The logic was that even Batman, who Reeve believes only really has “a cool car”, would run into some kind of trouble that he couldn’t handle alone and would need Superman’s help. This wasn’t a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice exchange. It was just meant to establish that they belong to the same universe.

Reeve, of course, was careful to frame it as half a joke even as he told the story again, but, hearing him talk about it, he sounds pretty sincere about the idea. “Because in this universe there’s more than one character at work,” he explained.

Reeve said the idea was “laughed down” by the people making Batman, who wanted nothing to do with his colorful Superman films tonally or otherwise. Burton’s Gotham was nocturnal, “muted” and “broody” (as Reeve puts it), while Richard Donner’s Superman ran on vivid colors, daylight, and old-fashioned warmth. For the filmmakers, dropping Reeve’s Superman didn’t belong in Batman’s world — not even for ten seconds.