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This is a collage I made of Batman comic book arch villains cast that could have been on the Burtonverse Batman film series but wasn't other than Jack Nicholson's Jack Napier/Joker, Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Danny DeVito's Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, because the Warner co-chairman Bob Daly and Terry Semel decided Tim Burton was too dark for Batman and too scary for kids. I think Tim Burton would have introduced his then girlfriend Lisa Marie Smith as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Steve Buscemi as Edward Nigma/Riddler and Brad Dourif as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow if the Warner Bros co-chairman would have let him.

I think Tim Burton would have cast his then girlfriend Lisa Marie Smith as Harley Quinn. Tim Burton had cast Lisa Marie Smith in Ed Wood (1994) as Maila Niemi/Vampira, Mars Attacks (1996) as the Martian disguised as a human Earthling prostitute, Sleep Hollow (1999) as Lady Crane, Planet of the Apes (2001) as Nova and in The World of Stainboy (2000-2001) as Cracker Girl, Stainboy's Mother and Matchstick Girl.

Contrary to rumors, Tim Burton planned to do Batman III but not with Robin Williams as the Riddler.
On The Tonight Show Jay Leno asked Tim Burton on June 24th 1992, "Now this is a rumor going around town - Robin Williams may be the Riddler in the next one." Tim Burton laughed at that Robin Williams Riddler rumor and said, "On the first movie [Batman (1989)] I have press clippings of rumors, I remember ones that said like Al Pacino was donning the tights to play Robin, and all these weird rumors, I don't know where this stuff comes from."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXJBo…

Batman (1989) scriptwriter Sam Hamm explained about false rumors in Amazing Heroes #159 (1989), "There was this weirdo rumor that hit the papers that [Batman (1989) producers] Guber or Peters was trying to get Cher to appear as the villainess Catwoman in Batman [1989], but there is no Catwoman in any of the [Batman (1989)] drafts. There was also a thing in the paper that Jack Nicholson wanted to get Elton John cast as his deranged sidekick Tom Thumb, but there was no Tom Thumb in the movie either."

In Comics Interview #77 (1990) Jack C. Harris asked, "Have Cher or Robin Williams been approached to play villains?" Producer Michael Uslan explained, "No. You'll discover that 90% or more of all rumors in this business are never true. It's always best to stick by and wait for the official announcements. If you believed the first rumors about Batman [1989], then Burt Reynolds would have been the lead and David Niven would be Alfred."
www.1989batman.com/2013/06/vin…

I see Steve Buscemi as who Tim Burton really would have cast for the Riddler. Burton did have Buscemi in Big Fish as a Riddler-esque poet turned bank robber. Burton never cast Robin Williams in anything. Buscemi fits in Burton's blend of quirky humor and macabre weirdos.
In the Big Fish DVD commentary Tim Burton said about Steve Buscemi, "He's a guy that just, anytime I see him in a film it just makes me happy, he's just such a great presence and I always wanted to work with him and because I love people that look like they could be in a silent movie. He's one of those guys that just expresses so much without even having to say anything. I love Steve's character, too. He's another that I related to. This guy that is artistic... I just love this character, going from a poet to a bank robber, and then becoming very successful, I always felt very close to this character in a weird way... This kind of Don Knotts gone bad, kind of like if Barney Fife had got on the wrong side of the law type of a situation. Steve's excellent at improve and again getting kind of a funny tone because when Steve [Buscemi] comes out of there it's actually kind of scary because you don't know if he's gonna shot somebody, get that mixture of comedy and slightly scary at the same time. I would love him [Steve Buscemi] to be [in all of my movies]."

It was actually Joel Schumacher who really wanted Robin Williams to play the Riddler, and Joel Schumacher's writers Lee and Janet Batchler wrote the role with Robin Williams in mind. Robin Williams confirmed in November 19, 1993, that he had been talking to director Joel Schumacher about the project scheduled to film in September 1994, and he said that he thought playing the Riddler would be "nifty," but the script wasn't finished yet. Joel Schumacher was expecting the script to be in his hands on January 1, 1994.
After reading the script and the studio giving him a final deadline for his decision, Robin Williams turned down the role. He believed the character was too intellectual and not as comedic as the Riddler played by Frank Gorshin on the TV series. Robin Williams was reportedly also concerned that his Riddler would be overshadowed by the film's other foe, Tommy Lee Jones' Harvey Two-Face. So Joel Schumacher cast Jim Carrey instead. It took just 30 minutes of negotiation to cast Jim Carrey.

ew.com/article/1994/06/03/cast…

Tim Burton wanted Brad Dourif as Scarecrow for Batman III to be set at Hallowe'en. Brad Dourif explained, "Y'know, I've heard that! One time I saw Tim Burton on an airplane and he was looking at me very interestedly. But I never spoke to him about it, and I think I wouldn't have been big enough a star for anyone to cast me in that role. He might've been interested, but I doubt the powers that be would've let him do it."

screenrant.com/batman-forever-…

I based the design of Scarecrow's suit on a Tim Burton designed scarecrow in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Jack Skellington as the Pumpkin King scarecrow in Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) mixed together.

Tim Burton explained during his Batman Returns DVD commentary, "I remember going into a meeting, toying with the idea of doing another one, and them trying to talk me out of it. I think they got a lot of flak from their tie-in partners on this movie [Batman Returns], and so I think that they were happy that I didn't do another one."

Tim Burton explained on the Batman Returns DVD special feature Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 4: The Dark Side of the Night, "I remember toying with the idea of doing another one, and I remember going into Warner Bros. and having a meeting and going, 'We could do this, we could do that,' and they go, 'Tim, don't you wanna do a smaller movie now? You know, just something that's more..,' and like, about half hour into the meeting, I go, 'You don't want me to make another one, do you?,' and their like, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no,' and I just said, 'No, I know you don't,' and so I just stopped it right there."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHbXBS…

Tim Burton explained to the Hollywood Reporter, "I realized halfway through my meeting with Warner Bros. that they didn't really want me to do the movie. They kept saying, ‘Don't you wanna go back and do a movie like Edward Scissorhands? Something smaller?' I said, 'You don't want me to do the movie, do you?'"

www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat…

Entertainment Weekly [July 31st 1992] reported that Warner execs distressed about Batman Returns, "It's too dark. It’s not a lot of fun." The chief of a rival studio said, "If you bring back Burton and Keaton, you're stuck with their vision. You can't expect Honey I Shrunk the Batman." Steve Daly reported, "While the Happy Meal to-do apparently hasn’t dented McDonald’s trade, Warner executives aren’t so sure the Batman franchise got off so easily. Word is they intend to make sure that Batman 3 and its progeny showcase a much less dark Dark Knight — a kind of Batman Lite — possibly without Burton at the helm."

ew.com/article/1992/07/31/unha…

In Tim Burton's book Burton on Burton he explained, "I don't think Warners wanted me to direct a third Batman. I even said that to them. I've always been a little at odds with them. I have a different perception of what dark is. There was a big backlash that it was 'too dark,' but I found this movie [Batman Returns] much less dark than the first one. It's just the culture climate. And they [Warners] hear that. They listen to that. I don't want to because I think it's dangerous and perverse. I think the culture is much more disturbed and disturbing than this movie, a lot more. But they just fixate on things and they choose targets. Got a lot of flake from parents thinking it [Batman Returns] was too scary for their kids."

In 1995 Joel Schumacher said, "Bob Daly or Terry Semel, I can't remember which one, started the discussion by saying they wanted to offer me the corporation's largest asset. They didn't say, 'Do you want to make a movie?' It was very corporate. There was a seriousness to it, and it was kind of naive on my part because I didn't quite realize I'd be involved in the licensing and marketing, the Kenner toys, the McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Sears, you name it."

Bob Daly said, "Terry and I wanted this Batman to be a little more fun and brighter than the last one. The first Batman was wonderful. The second got terrific reviews, but some people felt it was too dark, especially for young kids."
www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/art…

Description

This is a collage I made of Batman comic book arch villains cast that could have been on the Burtonverse Batman film series but wasn't other than Jack Nicholson's Jack Napier/Joker, Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Danny DeVito's Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, because the Warner co-chairman Bob Daly and Terry Semel decided Tim Burton was too dark for Batman and too scary for kids. I think Tim Burton would have introduced his then girlfriend Lisa Marie Smith as Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn, Steve Buscemi as Edward Nigma/Riddler and Brad Dourif as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow if the Warner Bros co-chairman would have let him.

I think Tim Burton would have cast his then girlfriend Lisa Marie Smith as Harley Quinn. Tim Burton had cast Lisa Marie Smith in Ed Wood (1994) as Maila Niemi/Vampira, Mars Attacks (1996) as the Martian disguised as a human Earthling prostitute, Sleep Hollow (1999) as Lady Crane, Planet of the Apes (2001) as Nova and in The World of Stainboy (2000-2001) as Cracker Girl, Stainboy's Mother and Matchstick Girl.

Contrary to rumors, Tim Burton planned to do Batman III but not with Robin Williams as the Riddler.
On The Tonight Show Jay Leno asked Tim Burton on June 24th 1992, "Now this is a rumor going around town - Robin Williams may be the Riddler in the next one." Tim Burton laughed at that Robin Williams Riddler rumor and said, "On the first movie [Batman (1989)] I have press clippings of rumors, I remember ones that said like Al Pacino was donning the tights to play Robin, and all these weird rumors, I don't know where this stuff comes from."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvXJBo…

Batman (1989) scriptwriter Sam Hamm explained about false rumors in Amazing Heroes #159 (1989), "There was this weirdo rumor that hit the papers that [Batman (1989) producers] Guber or Peters was trying to get Cher to appear as the villainess Catwoman in Batman [1989], but there is no Catwoman in any of the [Batman (1989)] drafts. There was also a thing in the paper that Jack Nicholson wanted to get Elton John cast as his deranged sidekick Tom Thumb, but there was no Tom Thumb in the movie either."

In Comics Interview #77 (1990) Jack C. Harris asked, "Have Cher or Robin Williams been approached to play villains?" Producer Michael Uslan explained, "No. You'll discover that 90% or more of all rumors in this business are never true. It's always best to stick by and wait for the official announcements. If you believed the first rumors about Batman [1989], then Burt Reynolds would have been the lead and David Niven would be Alfred."
www.1989batman.com/2013/06/vin…

I see Steve Buscemi as who Tim Burton really would have cast for the Riddler. Burton did have Buscemi in Big Fish as a Riddler-esque poet turned bank robber. Burton never cast Robin Williams in anything. Buscemi fits in Burton's blend of quirky humor and macabre weirdos.
In the Big Fish DVD commentary Tim Burton said about Steve Buscemi, "He's a guy that just, anytime I see him in a film it just makes me happy, he's just such a great presence and I always wanted to work with him and because I love people that look like they could be in a silent movie. He's one of those guys that just expresses so much without even having to say anything. I love Steve's character, too. He's another that I related to. This guy that is artistic... I just love this character, going from a poet to a bank robber, and then becoming very successful, I always felt very close to this character in a weird way... This kind of Don Knotts gone bad, kind of like if Barney Fife had got on the wrong side of the law type of a situation. Steve's excellent at improve and again getting kind of a funny tone because when Steve [Buscemi] comes out of there it's actually kind of scary because you don't know if he's gonna shot somebody, get that mixture of comedy and slightly scary at the same time. I would love him [Steve Buscemi] to be [in all of my movies]."

It was actually Joel Schumacher who really wanted Robin Williams to play the Riddler, and Joel Schumacher's writers Lee and Janet Batchler wrote the role with Robin Williams in mind. Robin Williams confirmed in November 19, 1993, that he had been talking to director Joel Schumacher about the project scheduled to film in September 1994, and he said that he thought playing the Riddler would be "nifty," but the script wasn't finished yet. Joel Schumacher was expecting the script to be in his hands on January 1, 1994.
After reading the script and the studio giving him a final deadline for his decision, Robin Williams turned down the role. He believed the character was too intellectual and not as comedic as the Riddler played by Frank Gorshin on the TV series. Robin Williams was reportedly also concerned that his Riddler would be overshadowed by the film's other foe, Tommy Lee Jones' Harvey Two-Face. So Joel Schumacher cast Jim Carrey instead. It took just 30 minutes of negotiation to cast Jim Carrey.

ew.com/article/1994/06/03/cast…

Tim Burton wanted Brad Dourif as Scarecrow for Batman III to be set at Hallowe'en. Brad Dourif explained, "Y'know, I've heard that! One time I saw Tim Burton on an airplane and he was looking at me very interestedly. But I never spoke to him about it, and I think I wouldn't have been big enough a star for anyone to cast me in that role. He might've been interested, but I doubt the powers that be would've let him do it."

screenrant.com/batman-forever-…

I based the design of Scarecrow's suit on a Tim Burton designed scarecrow in Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Jack Skellington as the Pumpkin King scarecrow in Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) mixed together.

Tim Burton explained during his Batman Returns DVD commentary, "I remember going into a meeting, toying with the idea of doing another one, and them trying to talk me out of it. I think they got a lot of flak from their tie-in partners on this movie [Batman Returns], and so I think that they were happy that I didn't do another one."

Tim Burton explained on the Batman Returns DVD special feature Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight Part 4: The Dark Side of the Night, "I remember toying with the idea of doing another one, and I remember going into Warner Bros. and having a meeting and going, 'We could do this, we could do that,' and they go, 'Tim, don't you wanna do a smaller movie now? You know, just something that's more..,' and like, about half hour into the meeting, I go, 'You don't want me to make another one, do you?,' and their like, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no,' and I just said, 'No, I know you don't,' and so I just stopped it right there."

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHbXBS…

Tim Burton explained to the Hollywood Reporter, "I realized halfway through my meeting with Warner Bros. that they didn't really want me to do the movie. They kept saying, ‘Don't you wanna go back and do a movie like Edward Scissorhands? Something smaller?' I said, 'You don't want me to do the movie, do you?'"

www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat…

Entertainment Weekly [July 31st 1992] reported that Warner execs distressed about Batman Returns, "It's too dark. It’s not a lot of fun." The chief of a rival studio said, "If you bring back Burton and Keaton, you're stuck with their vision. You can't expect Honey I Shrunk the Batman." Steve Daly reported, "While the Happy Meal to-do apparently hasn’t dented McDonald’s trade, Warner executives aren’t so sure the Batman franchise got off so easily. Word is they intend to make sure that Batman 3 and its progeny showcase a much less dark Dark Knight — a kind of Batman Lite — possibly without Burton at the helm."

ew.com/article/1992/07/31/unha…

In Tim Burton's book Burton on Burton he explained, "I don't think Warners wanted me to direct a third Batman. I even said that to them. I've always been a little at odds with them. I have a different perception of what dark is. There was a big backlash that it was 'too dark,' but I found this movie [Batman Returns] much less dark than the first one. It's just the culture climate. And they [Warners] hear that. They listen to that. I don't want to because I think it's dangerous and perverse. I think the culture is much more disturbed and disturbing than this movie, a lot more. But they just fixate on things and they choose targets. Got a lot of flake from parents thinking it [Batman Returns] was too scary for their kids."

In 1995 Joel Schumacher said, "Bob Daly or Terry Semel, I can't remember which one, started the discussion by saying they wanted to offer me the corporation's largest asset. They didn't say, 'Do you want to make a movie?' It was very corporate. There was a seriousness to it, and it was kind of naive on my part because I didn't quite realize I'd be involved in the licensing and marketing, the Kenner toys, the McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Sears, you name it."

Bob Daly said, "Terry and I wanted this Batman to be a little more fun and brighter than the last one. The first Batman was wonderful. The second got terrific reviews, but some people felt it was too dark, especially for young kids."
www.nytimes.com/1995/06/11/art…