Janet Scott Batchler (born February 5, 1956) is an American writer and director.
Career[]
Batchler wrote the script for Batman Forever with her husband Lee Batchler. She met producer Tim Burton and together they agreed that the screenplay should have focus on the duality of Batman. The Batchlers were hired by Burton and new director Joel Schumacher and their original script introduced a psychotic stalker Lyle Heckendorf who lived with his pet rat Sydney. They wrote the Heckendorf Riddler with Robin Williams in mind, who read the script and loved it, but without reaching a deal with Warner Bros.
The final script was revised by Akiva Goldsman, but much of the story elements and dialogue of the Batchlers remained in the finished film.
Trivia[]
- She and her husband Lee Batchler met during a Dungeons & Dragons game.
- She read Batman comics since she was a little girl.
- She and her husband wrote the earlier drafts of Batman Forever with Michael Keaton as Batman, Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, and Robin Williams as The Riddler, before Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey were cast.
- She and her husband came up with an idea of Robin with a big circus family, after they spoke to their assistant Darlene, who grew up in the circus, and she's part of a big circus family.
- She and her husband created a love interest for Batman named Chase Meridian for the film, after they were against the idea of the returns of Vicki Vale and Catwoman.