Before there was Universal’s Islands of Adventure, there was the concept of Cartoon World. Before Marvel Super Hero Island, there was the concept of a Gotham Island. Instead of Universal receiving a web-slinging hero they almost had The Dark Knight.
But these concepts were…
Let’s dive into the what-ifs of Batman coming to Universal Studios Orlando.
Gotham Island
The original plans for Universal’s second park were Cartoon World, this was changed after it was decided Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park would be featured in the park, hence changing the entire park’s concept to Islands of Adventure.
The DC Comics hero Batman would’ve been front and center in his own land, which would’ve only featured one other DC hero across the way with Metropolis featuring Superman. The themed land would’ve been based on Batman’s city of Gotham. The entrance of the land would’ve boasted a five-story Batman.
A whole bunch of concepts were pitched for this land even some including other DC superheroes but for the sake of the article, we are only going to focus on a select amount of Batman-related concepts that were pitched.
The Batcar Interactive Dark Ride
Yes, it was going to be The Batcar Interactive Dark Ride. The Batmobile naming was right there! The attraction would’ve taken place around Gotham and would’ve gone through the Axis Chemical plant seen in the 1989 version of Batman.
The Bat Signal
Universal was going to have a Bat Signal for the land, using similar technologies that have been featured in various theme park spectaculars. It would be the drawing beacon for the land.
Batjets
Batjets was going to be a roller coaster across the Gotham land. The coaster would’ve also featured some dark ride elements. It would’ve been a hanging coaster as well.
There was also another concept that was going to utilize the Batjets system and that concept was called Joker’s Wild Ride.
Batcave Night Club
Imagine the Batcave with video monitor walls and all the fixings but add in a bar and even a dance floor! It’s truly a bonkers concept that might’ve worked out. This would’ve been immersive and way ahead of its time.
The facade for the Batcave Night Club would’ve been Wayne Manor. Then guests would get on a tricked-out elevator that would descend deep bellow to the Batcave but in reality it would only be one story down. (This is the exact same technology used for Harry Potter: Escape from Gringotts).
The night club would’ve also featured giant speakers, laser projections, fog, waterfall, and a grotto. It seems like it would’ve been a fun place to explore. I mean who wouldn’t want to visit the Batcave? Even if it was a nightclub?
Gotham Opera House
There was going to be a Gotham Opera House and it would’ve featured a Batman and Robin show. The attraction was going to be a 4D show that would’ve seen Batman and Robin fight The Joker. Batman and Robin would also get an assist by Superman during the show.
Dark Knight Gifts
Dark Knight Gifts was going to be the one-stop-shop for all things Batman. It was going to be a moody and gloomy cathedral building and the inside would reflect that. The lighting features would be Bat Signals.
Products being sold at Dark Knight Gifts would include models of characters, gadgets, costumes, puzzles & games, Bat Signal flashlights, videos, posters & artwork, t-shirts, sweats, jackets, plates, glassware, books, comics, and magazines.
Joker’s Madhouse
The Joker’s Madhouse was going to be a “Wild Mouse” coaster. So think Disney’s Primeval Whirl but with all the stylings of The Joker which means tricks, dark lights, and fog. Then attraction would have dark ride elements including funhouse mirrors and a fake-out ending. I think a Joker-inspired coaster with sudden drops and sharp turns would be quite thrilling.
The Batman and Robin Stunt Spectacular
This concept would’ve been a massive lagoon stunt spectacular featuring Batman and Robin. As seen in the concept art, the show would’ve taken place mostly in the lagoon in front of Gotham Island. The stunt spectacular was going to feature The Joker, Commissioner Gordon, The Penguin, and Catwoman.
As you can tell from the concept art we would’ve received a lot of water explosions and boat action in the stunt spectacular.
Batman vs Penguin
The attraction was developed due to the success of Batman Returns with Michael Keaton. The film also featured Danny DeVito as the Penguin. The designers at the time felt like it would be the most popular route for the dueling attraction.
This was a predecessor to Dueling Dragons but it was going to be Batman verse Penguin. It would’ve been a suspended coaster but instead of Dueling Dragons, it would be indoors and feature special effects and pyrotechnics.
One side would start inside the Batcave and you would board the Batwing. The other side would start in the Penguin’s lair where you would board the PengWing. You’d soar through massive show buildings and the coasters would come super close to each other with a ton of near misses.
What happened?
So why did we never get a Batman presence at Universal Studios Orlando?
Back during the negotiating period for these attractions and concepts, Universal was offering Warner Bros. a 6% royalty fee to use the DC and Looney Tunes characters in the planned park. Warner Bros felt like they could ask for more and they demanded 10%. This led to a standstill in negotiations and then Warner offered a compromise of an 8% royalty fee but Universal didn’t accept the offer. Executive Sid Sheinberg even went as far as telling executives at Warner Bros, “we don’t need your [expletive] characters.”
Eventually Universal would retool the Cartoon World concept to Islands of Adventure and they would end up with the theme park rights to the Marvel characters.
The DC theme park rights would end up with Six Flags.
We just scratched the surface, and there are a ton of never-built concepts about Batman and other DC characters. These concepts might’ve fallen through but Batman would go on to be featured in a dozen Six Flags attractions. Six Flags owns the DC Comics theme park rights. Who knows maybe that will change one day. Universal and Warner Bros. couldn’t come to an agreement back in the day but things can change.
At the end of the day though both Batman and themed entertainment fans wonder what could’ve been if Universal got a Batman-themed land.
Who knows maybe one day it will finally happen?
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
