Sean Young was originally cast as Vicki Vale, but broke her collarbone while filming a horse-riding scene with Michael Keaton. The scene was subsequently written out of the script.

Willem Dafoe, David Bowie, 'John Lithgow' and James Woods were considered for the Joker.

Set designer Anton Furst deliberately mixed clashing architectural styles to make Gotham City the ugliest and bleakest metropolis imaginable.

The first draft of this movie was written in 1980 by Superman (1978) co-writer Tom Mankiewicz and told the story of Batman's and Robin's origins. The villains were The Joker and The Penguin, and Rupert Thorne and Barbara Gordon were also to appear. At the end Robin was to appear in costume (much like Batman Forever (1995)). It was going to be released in 1985 with a budget of $20 million, but with producers Michael E. Uslan and Benjamin Melniker booted off the production, the project was shelved until Jon Peters and Peter Guber picked it up. In 1985, after the surprise success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), the studio offered the job to Tim Burton. Unsatisfied with the Mankiewicz script, Burton and his then girlfriend Julie Hickson wrote a 30-page treatment of the project. This treatment was approved by both the producers and studio. In 1986 Burton met Sam Hamm, who had just received a two-year contract with Warner Brothers, and gave him the job of writing a screenplay based on Burton's and Hickson's treatment. However, the writing process stretched too long and Hamm couldn't write further drafts of the script because of the writers strike. In his place, Burton got Beetle Juice (1988) co-writer Warren Skaaren to continue writing. Nearly three years after working on the project Burton didn't get the film green-lit until the box-office result of Beetle Juice (1988). Batman (1989) began filming in October and it only took 12 weeks to shoot.

It made an estimated additional $750 million in merchandising alone.

The plastic surgeon's weird surgical tools are originally from another Warner Brothers production, Little Shop of Horrors (1986). They were the dentist tools owned by Orin Scrivello.

The Batman costume weighed 70 lbs.

The Batman symbol on the costume in this film is slightly different than the version seen in the comic books. It has two extra "points" on the bottom of the black bat emblem. However, the teaser poster and other such promotional materials for the film depict the logo just as it appears in the comics. The Batman costume was slightly modified for Batman Returns (1992) and sported the comic version of the symbol.

Corto Maltese (where Vicki had been taking pictures) is the name of a popular European comic character, starring in the adventure comic books of Italian Hugo Pratt.

Heavy security surrounded The Joker's makeup.

The throne that the Joker sits on when he spreads money over the citizens of Gotham is a copy of the "Silver Throne", the Royal Throne of Sweden which the King of Sweden used until 1974 at the opening of the Swedish Parliament. The replica was made for the film Queen Christina (1933).

Robin Williams was considered for the role of The Joker; he would later be considered for The Riddler as well. Jack Nicholson got the role of The Joker but demanded top-billing and a lucrative deal that gave him royalties on all merchandise.

Billy Dee Williams appears as Harvey Dent, who in the comics became Two-Face. Williams took the role with the expectation that he would be brought back to play Two-Face and reportedly had a contract clause added reserving the role for him. During casting for Batman Forever (1995) Warner Bros. decided they would prefer Tommy Lee Jones and bought out Williams' contract.

This was the first film to ever get a "12" rating in Great Britain. The rating was created to prevent young children from seeing the film. It had been in place up until 2002, where it was updated to "12A" for The Bourne Identity (2002)

Kim Basinger is only a few inches shorter than Michael Keaton. To make Keat

Continuity

The name of the museum is spelled differently on the outside and inside.

(at around 1h 2 mins) When destroying the paintings in the museum, one of Joker's henchmen puts several hand prints on a painting. Later, we see Joker imitating the statue, and in the background we can see the painting that had supposedly been fingerpainted is not.

(at around 1h 35 mins) When the Joker is throwing his parade, the float that the Joker stands on passes the same building (marked delicatessen) twice.

Tables and chairs vanish after Alicia Hunt enters Grissom's meeting.

(at around 1h 35 mins) During the Joker's Parade, one of the dollar bills that his goons were throwing out to the crowd gets caught on his throne. However, when he tells his goons to put on their masks, it has vanished. It reappears when the Joker pulls out the remote control.



Factual errors

When the Joker releases the gas during the parade scene, Alexander Knox takes a white dust mask out of the car to prevent him from inhaling the gas. A dust mask only protects you from dust particles and not from gas.

The gas mask that Vicki wears in the museum is just the mask part. It didn't have any filters on it and wouldn't have protected her from anything.

(at around 2h) The Bat Signal at the end of the film produces a nice, clean flat image against the sky. A lighted signal such as this, however, would need a backdrop to be cast against to be seen (clouds, for example.)

(at around 1h 1 min) Even with proper ventilation, it would take at least a few minutes to completely clear a large building filled with gas, but the Joker and his men immediately enter the museum without wearing any gas masks and most of the gas is gone.

At Bruce Wayne's party the craps game stick man is shown throwing dice to Gordon with his hand. In real craps games, the stick man moves the dice with his stick only.



Incorrectly regarded as goofs

During Bruce and Vicki's dinner date, Bruce asks Vicki if she "had a hard time finding the house?" Vicki had already been to the house previously for the benefit to save the festival. At this point in the film, Bruce Wayne is presenting a somewhat "absent-minded" persona to Vicki. It's the same reason he admits that he's never been in that particular dining room before.

When Joker kills Vinnie with a quill pen on the steps of City Hall, multiple police officers are on scene and do nothing to try to apprehend him for the murder he has just committed in front of multiple witnesses. Apart from the fact that the Gotham Police is rife with corruption, the Joker is accompanied by several armed henchmen. The police are obviously not going to risk members of the public at that point by engaging with the Joker if all he is there to do is kill a high-profile mobster.

(at around 1h 50 mins) When Batman arrives atop the Cathedral at the end, he is attacked by several of the Joker's men. These men seemingly appear from nowhere; the Joker indicated on his walkies that he and Vicki were going to be alone and then they climb up alone. However, ten minutes have likely already passed by and the henchmen must have entered the rooftop via the waiting helicopter. A spotlight also appears to encircle Joker and Vicki as they dance, another indication the helicopter is at close range.

The movie is set in the United States but really was filmed in the United Kingdom. In particular shows the Monarch Theatre. The word "Theatre" is by far the preferred spelling in British English, but the most correct word "Theater" is spelling in American English. This is not a goof because the spelling "Theatre" is commonly used in American English as well. In fact, the spelling ending in "re" is used in the name of nearly every American movie theater chain (Century Theatres, Brendan Theatres, etc.)

(at around 1h 50 mins) When Batman fights with the Joker's men atop the Cathedral at the end, the fights are very loud and involve all sorts of yelling, punching, kicking, and object breakage. The Joker and Vicki are seen dancing a mere few feet away, yet both are entirely oblivious to Batman's presence until after the fighting is over. Joker is forcing Vicki to dance, however, and his obliviousness is quite obviously purposeful.



Revealing mistakes

(at around 24 mins) After one of the henchmen cuts open the safe in Axis Chemicals, he pulls open the safe without turning the handle. Also there are no locking shafts on the side of the door to lock the door in place.

(at around 4 mins) When the family is mugged in the beginning, the Batman watching from the rooftop is clearly animated.

(at around 1h 40 mins) During the parade scene when Joker releases the gas, Vicki escapes harm by entering the car. When driving away you can see that the rear passenger side window is open.

(at around 1h 13 mins) When Batman drives into the Batcave, Vicki looks behind her to see the cave's door closing. However, the configuration of the windows on the cockpit of the Batmobile would make it impossible for her to actually see that.

(at around 6 mins) In the opening fight scene, Batman kicks the mugger Eddie through a door. While Eddie is flying through the air, the wire attached to his back is visible.



Miscellaneous

When the Joker interrupts the Mayor's televised press conference, everyone looks to their left, as if to be looking at the Joker. But what are they looking at? In long shots of the event there are no video screens to see the Joker. Plus everyone watching from home, would need to have two TVs to see the Joker, like Bruce has.

When the Joker challenges Batman to combat on TV near the end, he uses a Spanish challenge phrase incorrectly, saying "mano y mano" (hand and hand). He should have said "mano a mano" (hand TO hand).



Anachronisms

(at around 1h 17 mins) One newspaper headline reads "Batman Cracks Joker's Poison Code!" The headline to the left reads "Universal Service Urged by Truman in Princeton Talk." This is an iconic headline from the New York Times on 18 June 1947, reporting a speech by President Harry S. Truman. It probably escaped the notice of Director Tim Burton, who intended that the film be set in no particular year.



Audio/visual unsynchronized

(at around 26 mins) During the Axis raid, when the thug gets caught up in Batman's rope, he yells to be let down repeatedly, but his mouth doesn't move.

(at around 53 mins) When the Joker cuts up the pictures and Bob starts to laugh, the laughter starts before Bob's mouth opens.

The Batmobile is obviously powered by a gas turbine engine, but when it runs, the engine noise is of a piston engine. Additionally, an axial flow gas turbine engine would need a linear flow through the car, but the one in the Batmobile would be interrupted by the passenger compartment.



Crew or equipment visible

(at around 1h 12 mins) When the Batmobile first drives itself automatically, a hand is visible on the steering wheel through the tinted windscreen. This hand would have been invisible during the theatrical release, but the film's picture was brightened for home video after complaints of the film looking too dark.

(at around 1h 7 mins) When Batman saves Vicki from the museum you can see a crew member's hand holding Vicki when Batman raises them up in the air.

(at around 6 mins) During the initial fight scene, when Batman kicks Eddie The Thug, there is for an instant, a flash going off as if a picture is being taken when Eddie hits the door.



Errors in geography

On the newspaper that explains the combinations of dangerous products, Odor Eaters is spelled "Odoureaters" (UK spelling in the USA). In the same piece, the first combination is "Deodorant's with Baby Powder" (misplaced apostrophe).

The TV cameras used at Harvey Dent's press conference and the Action News studios were British EMI-2001 cameras, which were virtually unheard of outside of the UK at the time.

After Joker breaks into the newscast at 1:27:45, the Action News director tell his assistant to call the "OB Unit" which is seen at 1:27:26 and 1:41:50. "OB Unit" stands for Outside Broadcast Unit, which is a phrase used only in the UK. In the US, they're called "Production Trucks."



Plot holes

The Joker publicly announces that he will be throwing a big parade in the streets of Gotham. The police have been after him throughout the whole movie, yet they're nowhere to be seen during the parade, the easiest time to capture him.

The Joker's victims instantly get their rictus grins after overdosing on toxic additives. But while being dumped in those same chemicals caused the Joker's discoloration, his grin was a result of being shot through the cheeks and then stitched up.



Character error

Bruce Wayne introduces himself to Vikki Vale and Alexander Knox at the party and it's clear both characters didn't know who he was until he did. This is understandable for Vale as she has just arrived in Gotham, but it is highly unlikely that as a journalist native to Gotham, Knox does not know or recognize Gotham's most famous son.

(at around 13 mins) The issue of Time Magazine with Vicki's photos misspells her name as "Vicky" Vale on the front cover.

(at around 57 mins) The film is set in Gotham City, USA, but the bottle the Joker holds up in his "Smilex" commercial is for a "Moisturising" creme (instead of "moisturizing"), a tip-off that the bottle was created in England, where the film was shot.

A woman in the background of the opening when a character is trying to get a taxi, is looking straight at the camera, at least twice smiling at it.

(at around 1h 9 mins) During the chase after leaving the museum, Batman asks Vicki her weight. He had already carried her across the zipline in the museum, so he should already know her approximate weight.