The LEGO Batman Movie was a ton of fun and had loads of cool moments in it, lots of which
I've talked about in my easter eggs video.
But what I want to talk about here is the stuff which didn't make it into the final
film.
Yippee ki-yay movie lovers, it's Jan here and in this video I'm going to break down
some of the fascinating deleted scenes and rejected concepts from the movie.
I'm also giving away a second set of awesome LEGO Batman Movie books; The Essential Guide
plus the Making Of The Movie, which features concept art, sketches and LEGO builds.
For a chance to win, make sure you subscribe and leave a comment on this video about your
favourite deleted scene or what you'd like to see in a sequel.
For bonus ways to enter the giveaway, check out the Gleam link in the video description
below.
Quick alert: there are spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the movie.
To avoid those, grab the nearest Bat-train outta here by clicking or tapping the screen
for my spoiler-free review of the film.
Lego Batman director Chris McKay has said that the idea for the Phantom Zone housing
various villains from the wider Lego universe was inspired by movies like Cabin In The Woods
and Last Action Hero.
McKay wanted to bring in a bunch of crazy villains that didn't exist in the Batman or
DC Comics universe and mix them up with Batman characters.
And we do get a number of uber-villains such as Voldemort, Sauron and the Daleks in the
movie, but there were also some R-rated villains that McKay wanted to include in the film,
but he had to leave them out as they weren't appropriate for a younger audience.
Dropped from the final film was Bill from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Stephen King's
Annie from the 1990 horror movie Misery, and Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York.
Apparently Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey was also removed as the character "didn't
read well" in the movie.
Although Barbara Gordon has a backstory in the movie which differs quite considerably
from her various comic book incarnations, early versions of the character were initially
also quite different to what's in the final film.
Originally, Barbara was a librarian at the Gotham City library and was secretly involved
in outside-the-law vigilante activities.
In one early design, her vigilante persona carries a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel who
was a character created in the early 20th century who also held a secret hero identity
and was a literary forerunner of characters like Batman.
Before deciding on a more classic design for Robin, some zany options were considered including
a Robin Hood-inspired costume, a contemporary hoodie, and a gymnast outfit.
There was also a storyboarded scene that was cut which featured an open day at Dick Grayson's
orphanage where he tried to get attention from prospective parents who might adopt him.
There's a reference to this in the final movie when Dick Grayson asks Bruce Wayne for advice
on how to improve his adoption chances.
We get to see the Joker cruising around in his Notorious Lowrider during the movie, but
the Lego design team considered numerous other rides for the Clown Prince of Crime and his
sidekick villains including an octopus-inspired vehicle that looks really cool.
There were also some other Joker truck designs that incorporated some of his classic weapons
such as the handshake joy buzzer which electrocutes its victims, and the squirting flower that
the Joker has often worn on his jacket and which spews toxic gas or acid at its victims.
The Joker's partner-in-crime Harley Quinn has a rich history in the DC universe and
numerous possible costume designs were considered before the filmmakers decided on her character's
final looks.
In the movie, we also briefly see her alter ego, psychiatrist Dr Harleen Quinzel.
Alternative versions of Quinzel were also considered but didn't make it to the final
film, for example, a holistic therapist who provided massages, acupuncture and other treatments
to clients such as Batman!
The Two-Face we see in the movie is the Lego version of what director Chris McKay thought
Billy Dee Williams' Two-Face would have looked like if he'd had a chance to appear on screen.
As you'll no doubt remember, Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman
movie, but the character was dropped from the sequel Batman Returns.
Alternate designs for Two-Face were considered for the Lego Batman Movie though, each of
which paid homage to the various incarnations of the character that have appeared in the
comics, and on the big and small screen over the years.
The Joker's henchmen each have their own rides and many of them also had some very cool designs
that were rejected for the final movie.
The Riddler had designs for a question-mark-shaped helicopter and a double-decker bus, but those
were dropped and, instead, he got his own sports car.
There were various feline-inspired vehicles considered for Catwoman, before the filmmakers
settled on a motorcycle.
And various wacky flying contraptions were designed for Scarecrow before he ended up
with a much simpler flying broomstick-inspired helicopter.
There were also a few scenes from the trailers that didn't make it into the final movie,
such as a deleted gag where Bruce Wayne is beatboxing and then tells Alfred that he should
Always Be Recording.
Another scene of Batman running with the other Justice League members in the background hints
at a deleted action scene with Batman and the rest of the Justice League.
Shipping Batgirl and Batman has long been a controversial subject among comic book fans
that resurfaced in last year's animated Killing Joke movie which included a now infamous sex
scene between the two characters.
Marketing for The Lego Batman Movie seemed to play up the possibility of a romantic relationship
between Batgirl and Batman and there was a scene in a TV spot where Barbara Gordon comments
that it's been a "great first day" but Batman thinks she said "first date".
In the final movie, this joke was cut out perhaps to the relief of many fans.
Of course, the film still plays around with Batman having a crush on Barbara, however,
it doesn't lead anywhere and Batman jokes at the end that she's "his platonic, co-worker
buddy, who's a girl, but just a friend."
One of the best scenes from the movie that we did see is where Batman sings, "Who's The
Batman."
And important to the story were other musical themes like Michael Jackson's "Man In The
Mirror" and the final song "Friends Are Family" (sung by Robin).
But Chris McKay has said that ideally he wanted to make the whole movie a musical with additional
songs from different characters' perspectives integrated throughout the film.
In the end, the idea of including additional musical numbers was dropped as there wasn't
enough time to work these into the movie.
So guys, what do you think about the deleted scenes, villains and designs.
Are there any you would have preferred to see in the final movie?
And what would you like to see happen in a Lego Batman sequel?
Don't forget to leave a comment and subscribe for a chance to win this awesome pair of Lego
Batman Movie books.
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For bonus ways to enter the giveaway, check out the Gleam link in the video description
below.
And if you fancy finding out more about the Lego Batman Movie or other movie deleted scenes,
you can tap or click here to do just that.
Thanks for watching and see you next time!
Yippee ki-yay movie lovers!