News: McFarlane Toys unveils Forever Batmobile at San Diego Comic Con

McFarlane Toys have just unveiled the light up Forever Batmobile with exclusive Alfred figure. 

Yup... it's green... for some reason. I have no idea why this is and hope the finished version will light up blue like it did in the movie. I'm not holding my breath though.

The vehicle has a button near the front of the canopy to activate the light up feature.

Presumably the canopy opens but I haven't seen that part in action. I really hope they've ironed out the issues that the Flash Batmobile had with the canopy sliding open.

Not sure if the giant fin on the top will be able to split in two like it did in the film.

Overall I think it looks solid and will definitely be picking it up - in spite of the green colour.

The Alfred figure looks really solid. Can definitely see the Michael Gough likeness there. Would be nice if he had a tray accessory or something but I doubt it will. I'll definitely pick this set up as it's unclear if they'll sell the figure separately.

Also remember, the leaked listing mentioned a second batmobile that would have a glow in the dark feature (and I would presume be without the Alfred figure). Be interested to see what that looks like.

Anyway, here's some rough photos. 

To see a video, follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C95VjxKSYxu/?igsh=MW5rbXF2cjZ3MjhmeA==

News: Akiva Goldsman is trying to get the Schumacher Cut released

More news from this year's San Diego Comic Con. 

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman was speaking at the "Producers on Producing Panel", hosted by Steve Weintraub, and was asked about the Schumacher Cut of Batman Forever.

He revealed that he has been trying, since Joel Schumacher's death in 2020, to get Warner Brothers interested in doing a polished version of "Batman Forever: Preview One" (presumably a very early test screening cut of the film - the exact contents of this cut are still unknown).

He has mentioned this "Preview One" cut before but it is unknown if this is the same cut as the one Kevin Smith screened last year at his Smodcastle Cinema. 

Akiva was very good friends with Joel and wants to revisit the film as a tribute to him.

Unfortunately the hold up is that Warner Brothers keeps changing management which resets the project back to the start. He mentioned "one administration ago" the project was close to being approved.

In terms of what need doing, Akiva said: "There’s some visual effects that need to be finished. There would be some music that would have to be if not re-scored or rewritten. The whole soup to nuts was about a million bucks. They were on the verge of doing it and then Warner got sold again. There’s a-whole-nother DC."

This is fantastic news as it sounds like Goldsman is not only keen to see this cut released but also willing to keep pushing and actually oversee it's creation! 

I know for some this will be seem like a non-story but I think the fact that someone with Akiva's clout (remember, he's not just a screenwriter but a highly successful TV and film producer too) is willing to see this through, gives it much more of a chance of happening.

It sounds like Akiva is bidding his time, waiting for the new DCU to start up, and will then pursue the project with Warner Brothers and DC again.

Read the full Collider article here:-

https://collider.com/batman-forever-directors-cut-joel-schumacher/

Batman Forever + Batman & Robin merchandise for sale!

No, I haven't lost my mind and decided to sell my collection. Don't worry. It's going nowhere.

I have though been in touch with a fellow Batman collector called Laurent.

He is very active on Instagram and is selling a TON of Batman merchandise - from the movies, cartoons, comics.

Most interesting to readers of this blog, he has a big collection of Batman Forever and Batman & Robin merchandise.

Here are a couple of photos below show some of what he has available. Some really rare pieces. He also has a lot of carded figures too. Check his Instagram page out here - give him and follow and maybe strike up a deal.

And here's some individual posts about some of the items for a closer look. 

Batman Forever stuff:

Riddler resin kit https://www.instagram.com/p/C4TtEyQsLCT/?img_index=1

Socks https://www.instagram.com/p/ClPPcQOMX7P/

Various CDs https://www.instagram.com/p/ClMv4ysMO5a/ https://www.instagram.com/p/ClKHS7-szf2/ 

Inflatable pop bag https://www.instagram.com/p/ClKHS7-szf2/ 

Bubble bath https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjn3TAzMGkn/ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjn3vZss9uI/ 

Batman & Robin stuff: 

WBSS portraits https://www.instagram.com/p/C2lCtTwsYuD/?img_index=1

WBSS paper bag https://www.instagram.com/p/CjtMo-hMxQ0/?img_index=1

Batman study kit https://www.instagram.com/p/CjisZfBsR--/?img_index=1

Torchlight https://www.instagram.com/p/CjgZQ0xsKRj/?img_index=1

Fruit snacks https://www.instagram.com/p/Cjdx05TsCV6/

Batman Forever Merchandise Review - Robin figure from Hot Toys

So I know this is a little late. I was really on the fence about picking up the Hot Toys Batman Forever figures. I'm a huge fan of vintage figures but don't tend to buy too many "new" figures. The price point of them is really high (around £175) and for a long time I felt like there was no way I could afford either of them.

Recently I got a job upgrade and the price lowered slightly on eBay so I decided to bite the bullet and get one. I'm glad I did because these are really special figures. The finish on them is spectacular as is the attention to detail. As I say in the video, this is the closest you'll get to having a tiny Chris O'Donnell in your hands.

As some have pointed out, it's not perfect. The shade of red they chose doesn't seem to match the on-screen costume (it was admittedly difficult to figure out exactly what it should be given in the film it is usually lit with strong coloured lighting).

But on the whole it is great. The other issue is the poseability. The promo shots of this have the figure in all the cool poses from the film but the reality is that the suit really bends in awkward ways when you move the arm or legs out of their default positions. It doesn't both me much as I rarely pose figure but might be a consideration for others.