Swiss artist H.R. Giger is most famous in Hollywood for his work on the original Alien, where he designed the biomechanical look of the title creature, the crashed Juggernaut ship, and more. Now, thanks to some newly unearthed images of his design for the Batmobile — intended for 1995’s Batman Forever — we can see what might have been.
Twitter user “Trash Can Dan” posted a series of Giger’s drawings, along with a 3D rendering of the vehicle.
One can only imagine how Giger’s distinctive, almost creepy style would have meshed with the Batman Forever aesthetic; this was the film that marked a sharp departure from Tim Burton’s Gothic style to Joel Schumacher’s candy-colored, neon Gotham City. The film featured Val Kilmer and Chris O’Donnell’s Batman and Robin facing off against Jim Carrey’s Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones’s Two Face.
(Some people, like original star Michael Keaton, had a bad feeling about Schumacher’s vision from the beginning.)
For reference, here’s how the non-Giger Batmobile ultimately looked in the movie; the most memorable thing about it is probably that it drove straight up the side of a building in one scene.
Batman Forever hit theaters in 1995. Here is the official synopsis:
Batman (Val Kilmer) faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones), and the Riddler (Jim Carrey), a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City’s residents. As the caped crusader also deals with tortured memories of his parents’ murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman).
What do you think about these wild, newly unearthed designs for one of the most iconic vehicles in all of pop culture? Hop on down to the comments and let us know your thoughts!