These round in 1997 would possibly recall rumors that actor Patrick Stewart, not but having performed Professor X in Bryan Singer’s “X-Males,” was in talks to play Mr. Freeze within the then-upcoming Batman movie. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel Schumacher lastly however the kibosh on these rumors, mentioning that Stewart was by no means contacted, that he by no means auditioned, and that he wasn’t even recommended by anybody. “It is a good looking concept,” the director admitted, nevertheless.

Stewart, a classically skilled Shakespearean actor, after which contemporary off of “Star Trek: First Contact,” will surely have performed the position otherwise than Arnold Schwarzenegger, who extra usually reached for top camp and who made frequent puns about ice and freezing. (Pattern dialogue: “Let’s kick some ice.”) Certainly, storyboard artist Steve Burgard claims that an earlier model of the script, credited to Akiva Goldsman, did not have the puns in them. Burgard mentioned that Mr. Freeze was initially written for an actor extra like Stewart, containing a component of classical tragedy:

“All of the dialogue was for Mr. Freeze, you would inform it was meant for anyone who would ship it in a Shakespearean trend. It was hysterical; in my head, I used to be studying Freeze’s dialogue as Schwarzenegger.”

When the manufacturing landed Schwarzenegger — one of many world’s greatest film stars, making it troublesome to say something however “sure” — the character was altered. Burgard mentioned that it was solely after the half was solid that the foolish puns have been labored into the screenplay. The Shakespearean notes have been dropped and the camp, harking back to the 1966 “Batman,” got here creeping in.