In the interim though, Warner Bros got busy. Wesley Strick was one of those who took a stab at the screenplay, and his version of what was then Batman 2 had Robin featuring in it. Warner Bros was keen on the idea, even going so far as to cast Marlon Wayans in the role.

Wayans got to the stage of signing up for the film, had a costume fitting, and was optioned for a sequel. But when Tim Burton came back to the project, he was no fan of the Robin character. Daniel Waters’ subsequent script removed him, and the idea was then to save Robin for Batman 3.

That plan would come to fruition, but by that stage, Tim Burton had moved on, and Joel Schumacher was in as director. His favored choice for the Boy Wonder was Chris O’Donnell, who would take on the role in both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Wayans would never get to play the role, and hasn’t been in a major comic book movie since either.

Annette Bening – Catwoman

Still on Batman Returns, someone else who had been cast in the film was Annette Bening. She won the role of Catwoman, off the back of her excellent work in The Grifters, which Tim Burton had seen and was impressed by. She beat quite a field too, with everyone from Cher and Madonna through to Susan Sarandon and Bridget Fonda apparently competing for the role.

Yet Burton’s Batman movies had a problem with their lead female roles. Sean Young was originally set to play Vicki Vale in 1989’s Batman, but a riding injury forced her to pass, and Kim Basinger took on the part. In the case of Catwoman, Bening discovered she was pregnant, and thus had to relinquish the role. Michelle Pfeiffer subsequently met up with Tim Burton, and he gave her the part instead (for more money than Bening would had cost).

Nicolas Cage – Superman