"BATMAN RETURNS"
1 INT. A STUFFY MANSION——A NIGHT ABOUT FORTY YEARS AGO 1
The viewer floats through an overbearing mansion and
up its sweeping staircase to where a stern man in
conservative dress is pacing back and forth， smoking a
cigarette in a cigarette holder. He is the FATHER. The
throes-of-labor pants and moans of the MOTHER can be
heard from down the hall.
Now， eerie Gaas and Goos chill the air. The Father stops *
and gapes the cigarette holder out of his mouth to see a
dazed NURSE shuffle out of the birth room and disappear *
down the hallway.
A TRAUMATIZED DOCTOR next wanders out. The Father runs *
past him into the room. The viewer remains outside and
hears the Father's subsequent screams.
2 INT. MANSION LIVING ROOM——CHRISTMAS EVE PAST 2
A bizarrely corrugated Cage sits amid the plush， period，
and Christmased-up surroundings of the mansion. With
their backs turned to the sickly squeals emerging from
the Playpen from Hell， Father and Mother， holding
martinis， look out a window of gentle snowfall， with
bloodshot eyes. A 50's-type radio warbles "Santa Claus
is coming to Town."
A strange pair of eyes peer from the cage. Taking the
point of view of the eyes from inside the playpen， one
sees the mansion's Christmas tree from between the dark
cage slats.
GIDDY YULETIDE SINGERS
"He knows when you are sleeping，
he knows when you're awake……"
The family cat skulks past the cage —— almost. Without
warning， the cat is yanked —— so fast and powerfully it
seems that it's been sucked —— through the bars， into the
cage. A feline SCREAM， then sickening silence.
With dead syncopation， Mother and Father finish off their
martinis， and plop the empty glasses down.
3 EXT. A PARK——THAT NIGHT 3
A HAPPY COUPLE in 50's dress， pushes a baby carriage
through the park cooing toward their bundle of joy
inside.
Father and Mother straggle from the other direction，
creaking forward an ominously closed-up， wickedly de-
signed baby carriage that serves to muffle nasty whining
and thumping noises.
HAPPY COUPLE
Merry Christmas！
Father and Mother fake a smiling response that collapses
as the happy couple passes. They then brake at a story-
book bridge over a bubbling brook. With dark nonchalance，
Father and Mother each grab an end of the carriage and
heave it upward.
4 EXT. THE CARRIAGE——NIGHT 4
swirls in the air and splashes down into the small river.
Right side up， the carriage gently rides the tranquil
rapids out of the park area. It bobs through an open
sewer tunnel pipe.
5 INT. THE SEWER——NIGHT 5
The carriage innocently slides through the murky waters
of the awesomely cavernous and creepy sewer， softly
surfing its sides.
6 INT. A DARK LAIR——NIGHT 6
The resilient carriage spews from a gaping pipe into a
moat of water that surrounds a vast patch of snow and
ice that is the centerpiece of a dark and mysterious
lair.
The carriage rides a gentle wave onto the sanctuary's
arctic island， into a patch of light. From out of the
darkness of the lair， FOUR STATUESQUE EMPEROR PENGUINS
WITH DISTINGUISHED GRAY BELLIES regally approach the
carriage and surround it with spooky authority.
FROM OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF THE OPENING CREDITS WE
GO TO……
7 EXT. A DISPLAY WINDOW——EARLY EVENING OF THE CURRENT ERA 7
A Batman logo fills the frame with a portentous soundtrack
boom. A playful salvo of snowballs reverberates against
this image as the logo is revealed to be a hanging center-
piece in the display window of a store that sells Batman *
sleds， lunch boxes， T-shirts， and ticking-to-twenty-
before-Seven clocks.
8 EXT. GOTHAM PLAZA——EARLY EVENING 8
Bathed in pristine snow and packed with ELATED SHOPPERS，
POINSETTIA GRASPING LOVERS， BLESSED CAROLERS， and an
overwhelming array of Christmas decoration， the intimate
Plaza center of Gotham City has been dragged kicking and
screaming into a state of beauty and happiness.
*
An ALL-AMERICAN DAD holds up a bowed Batman sled to an *
ALL-AMERICAN MOM. An ALL-AMERICAN SON rushes up causing
All-American Dad to exaggeratedly hide the present behind
his back. *
Just behind them， an ADORABLE LITTLE GIRL takes a dollar
from her precious little purse and gives it to a
SALVATION ARMY SANTA. A sweet， microphoned voice wafts
out over the Plaza.
SWEET MICROPHONED VOICE （O.S.）
Could I have your attention， Gotham
City？
9 EXT. FROM AN ELEVATED STAGE AT THE CENTER OF THE 9
PLAZA——EVENING
A dewy-eyed young lovely， wearing a snow bunny fur， a
tiara， and a banner streamed across her chest that reads
ICE PRINCESS， continues into her mike. An Elegant Lampost
Clock， near the stage， ticks fifteen minutes till seven. *
ICE PRINCESS
It's time for tonight's Lighting
of the Tree！ How 'bout that！
The merry Consumers stop to watch the Ice Princess scurry *
to an IMMENSE VIBRANTLY MULTI-COLORED BUTTON and press it
down. This causes a mammoth Christmas Tree to light up.
The crowd erupts in aahs and oohs. *
10 INT. A VERTICAL SEWER GRATE——EVENING 10
Through a grand， vertical half-circle sewer grate， an
older pair of strange eyes peer. Taking the point of
view of the eyes through the grate slats， one sees the *
blazing Christmas Tree， just as one did through the *
Playpen bars.
11 EXT. OUTSIDE THE SEWER GRATE——EVENING 11
A pair of black webbed hands —— flippers， really —— curl
out around the grate bars. Eerily poking out next is a
twisted bird-like nose and a creepy pair of barely audible
lips.
THE CREEPY LIPS
"I know when you are sleeping， I
know when you're awake."
The world's most beloved butler， ALFRED， marches past the
sewer grate， past a PAPERBOY who bustles up， holding a
newspaper headlined "PENGUIN —— MAN OR MYTH OR SOMETHING
WORSE？"
PAPERBOY
Read about the latest sighting of
the Penguin creature！ He was seen
torching a homeless shelter，
robbing a blind ——
ALFRED
Dear Boy！ Sometimes it is a
diversion to read such piffle.
Most times it is a WASTE of time.
Alfred suddenly feels a chill from behind， and below him. *
He turns to the sewer grate just as the slimy flippers
disappear into the darkness.
12 EXT. THE TOP OF THE SHRECK BUILDING——NIGHT 12
The viewer goes from Gotham's bowels to its summit. The
top floor of the building housing the department store
is a tower of Ivory with a large， friendly sentinel of
a cat at its tippy top. Two men stand in the window，
pointing down to the Plaza below.
13 INT. MAX SHRECK'S CONFERENCE ROOM——NIGHT 13
The conference room presents itself in its high-tech
splendor. A mighty Shreck Corporation logo of a friendly
cat adorns one wall.
The two men are MAX SHRECK and THE MAYOR. Max is a *
pillar of community charisma. The Mayor is more
straightforward， less spectacular.
MAYOR
Well here's hoping …… With Batman
protecting us， and all your enterprises
keeping our economy on full boil，
Gotham just might have its first
real Christmas in a good long while.
MAX
（nods， then）
I feel almost vulgar， in this
Yuletide context， about mentioning
the new power plant.
（MORE）
MAX （CONT'D）
But if we're gonna break ground
when we've GOTTA break ground，
I'll need permits， variances， tax
incentives …… that sort of pesky
nonsense.
Evidently， this is the first the Mayor has heard of it.
MAYOR
"Power plant"？ Max， our studies *
show that Gotham has enough energy *
sources to sustain growth into the *
next cen——
MAX
（scoffs）
Your analysts are talking growth
at one percent per annum. That's
not growth， that's a mild swelling.
I'M planning ahead for a
revitalized Gotham City …… So we
can light the whole plaza without
worrying about brownouts …… Do *
you like the sound of "brownouts"？
Do you？
Behind them， Max's football-hero son CHIP （as in Chip off
the old block） enters， with SELINA KYLE， Max's beautiful-
beneath-bifocals-and-a-subdued-haircut assistant. She
sets down fresh coffee for Max and the Mayor.
MAX
Imagine a Gotham City of the future
lit up like a blanket of stars ……
but blinking on and off，
embarrassingly low on juice.
Frankly I cringe， Mr. Mayor.
Chip glances to a fierce digital clock showing 6：50.
CHIP
Dad. Mr. Mayor …… It's time to
go downstairs and bring joy to the
masses.
Max looks to the Mayor： what's it gonna be？ *
MAYOR
（curt） *
