Batman & Robin

[kg redhead]

New troubles have arisen in Gotham City. First, there's a new super villain in town: Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), a former doctor whose blood is laced with cryogenic liquid, causing him to be cold in look and feeling who plans to freeze Gotham until he gets the money needed to finish finding the cure for a mysterious disease that has stricken his wife. Second, Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman), a villainess with luscious lips full of venom, has arrived in Gotham with her hulking servant, Bane (Jeep Swenson), with plans to team up with Freeze and prepare the way for genetically enhanced plants. Third, Ivy has caused a rift between the partnership of the Dark Knight (George Clooney) and the Boy Wonder (Chris O'Donnell). And finally, Alfred (Michael Gough), Batman's trusted butler, has developed the same disease that Freeze's wife has. It is in this time of need that a new partner, Batgirl (Alicia Silverstone), steps forward to help the two rid the city of evil once more.

[kg redhead]

The Batman costume weighed 14.5 lbs.

The Batgirl costume weighed 12 lbs.

The Robin costume weighed 14 lbs.

The Mr. Freeze costume weighed 75 lbs.

Patrick Stewart was considered for the role of Mr. Freeze.

A new form of light foam rubber was used to make the superhero costumes. This helped the costumes weigh less than on any other Batman film, but they ripped and tore very easily.

Batgirl had a full-head costume designed for her much like Batman's (complete with pointy ears) in this movie, but it was rejected in favor of letting Alicia Silverstone's hair flow freely (except in one scene where she wears it as a crash helmet). Batgirl action figures designed for the movie reflect the full-head costume, before the toy makers were informed of the change.

The sign on a club reads "The Head Room" just before the scene in which Alfred's computer likeness talks to Barbara in a manner resembling Max Headroom.

Cast member John Glover also performs the voice of The Riddler in the animated Batman series.

The disease "MacGregor Syndrome" was named after producer Peter MacGregor-Scott.

During the scene where Batman and Robin bid for Poison Ivy, Batman pulls out his credit card. Its expiration date: FOREVER.

Dr. Jason Woodrue appeared in DC Comics as another plant themed super-villain, as himself and as The Floronic Man.

Dr. Woodrue creates Bane with what he calls his "Super Soldier Serum". This is a reference to the origin of the Marvel Comics character Captain America. Created in the early 1940s (under Marvels's previous incarnation as Timely Comics), Captain America was Steve Rogers, a man too frail to enlist to fight in World War II. He agreed to subject himself to the Super Soldier Serum which heightened every ability and sense to the highest human limits. Of course, as these things go, the doctor who created the formula was promptly killed and Captain America would be the only Super Soldier. Despite Timely/Marvel having been a somewhat popular line at the time, Captain America was wildly succesful, rivaling Superman, Captain Marvel, Batman, and Wonder Woman in popularity.

George Clooney injured his lower leg playing basketball, while shooting Batman and Robin. Because of this, he needed to cut the boot off of the Bat-suit in order to wear a cast. You can tell when his leg was injured from his limping while inside the freeze rocket.

Director Joel Schumacher first realized that George Clooney would make a good Batman after drawing the famous cowl over Clooney's face in an advertisement for From Dusk Till Dawn (1996).

In the original theatrical trailer, Mr. Freeze says the line, "Button up, boys. A storm is coming." That line is not present in the final film.

Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, and Demi Moore were all rumored to be in the running for the part of Poison Ivy, before Uma Thurman was cast.

Joel Schumacher once said in an interview that if Arnold had not wanted to play Mr. Freeze, Sylvester Stallone was his second choice.

When Batgirl sneaks to the motorcycle contest, one of the gangs there are dressed like the main characters in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971). At the same time, the background song is "Fun for Me", performed by Moloko. Moloko is Nadsat (Alex de Large and his droogs' language) for Milk.

Arkham Asylum was originally "made up" by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft, to use in his stories (and was located in Arkham, not Gotham City).

In the evidence room at the prison where Freeze is held and before Bane breaks in, both the Riddler's and Two-Face's outfits can be seen.

Pat Hingle (Commissioner Gordon) and Michael Gough (Alfred Pennyworth) are the only actors to appear in all four of the Batman films.

One of three movies to feature two future United States Governors acting in the same film. Jesse Ventura, elected Governor in Minnesota in 1998, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, elected Governor of California in 2003. (The other two films were Predator (1987), and The Running Man (1987). All three of these movies featured Ventura and Schwarzenegger.)

The computer in Alfred's room is a 20th anniversary Macintosh built by Apple Computer.

In an interview the cast members were asked what item from filming they would like to take home with them. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that he would be taking Mr. Freeze's armor home, Uma Thurman said that she wanted Ivy's floral throne, and Elle Macpherson said that she just wanted a cap or something with the "Batman & Robin" logo before anyone else. When asked, George Clooney said he wanted Elle Macpherson.

During shooting, George Clooney visited his friends on the set of "ER" (1994) in full costume.