One of the most ridiculed movie costumes in the history of “Robin” & “Batman flop 1997 epic Schumacher’s Joel” could soon be yours as part of Hollywood Heritage’s Auction Signature & Entertainment. The form-fitting getup, known for the notorious “nipple” bat suit, will be sold starting at $40,000 in the auction from 23 to 22 July. George Clooney wore this suit.
In a statement to Variety, Joe Maddalena, the president and vice executive of Auctions, Heritage, said, “This statement is easily the most renowned — and notorious — Batman outfit ever created, as demonstrated by the fact that even after all these years, it still garners attention whenever Tim Burton and George Clooney are questioned about it. In fact, George Clooney once mentioned to Vice, ‘I’m still pleased that we went through with it.’ However, it should be acknowledged that Joel Schumacher never expressed regret for the inclusion of the ‘Bat-nipples.'”
I am glad that we now have the chance to offer this piece of cinema history to someone who can appreciate Schumacher’s costume as much as I do.
The bat-suit worn by Clooney in the award-winning Razzie film Crusader Caped is made up of various materials including mixed media elements, leather, resin components, vinyl, latex foam, and cast. The suit is known for its buxom appearance.
The film catastrophe will always be linked to the actor from “Ocean’s 11” therefore the “ultra-authentic George Clooney head” and “prosthetic quality artificial eyes” presumably accompany a “life-sized, adjustable dummy” as well. The ensemble is included with it.
The bidding will end within the next 16 days, allowing potential buyers to place an initial offer on this fashion disaster. It is unclear whether the auctioneers will accept Clooney’s autographed Bat Credit Card.
One of the nostalgic props up for auction is the costume of Batman, including the purple suit worn by Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s original 1989 “Batman” and Jim Carrey’s Riddler cane from “Batman Forever”, with an opening bid of $65,000.
Needless to say, the “bat-nips” have become somewhat of a punchline in cinematic circles, with Tim Burton, the director of the original Batman movie, discussing how the costume ripped while discussing his increasingly campy 1989 classic, Dark Knight, in an interview with Empire magazine in June.
“[In the past] they chose to take a different path. That’s the amusing aspect of it,” Burton recollected. “However, at that moment I had a realization. I thought to myself, ‘Wait a moment. Alright. Just wait a moment here. You criticize me, saying I’m too eccentric, I’m too gloomy, and yet you add nipples to the outfit? Have some self-respect.'”
In a 2021 advertisement for Omaze endorsing Clooney’s Foundation for Justice, Clooney personally, who has previously criticized “Batman & Robin” openly and even admitted that he “messed it up so badly,” humorously mocked the breast-enhancing fashion. In the four-minute sketch, the “Gravity” actor visits Craigslist to buy a Batman action figure, specifically mentioning that it should be “the version without the protruding nipples.”
In Schumacher’s first Batman film, “Batman Forever,” the frequently mocked protrusions were much more effective, as stated by costume designer Jose Fernandez during a June interview with MEL Magazine.
The designer clarified, “It wasn’t a fetish for me, it was rather influenced by Roman armor — similar to Centurions. Additionally, in the comic books, the characters consistently appeared as if they were unclothed with spray paint applied on them — it was primarily focused on anatomy, and I enjoy emphasizing anatomy.” “I included the nipples as one of those elements in Val Kilmer’s suit in ‘Batman Forever’.”
Fernandez mentioned that he had “no clue there would be so much excitement surrounding it.”
The costume creator explained that in “Batman & Robin,” the director, who passed away in June 2020, had a great fondness for the protrusions and thus made them more noticeable, ultimately holding Schumacher responsible for unveiling the nipple. Nonetheless.
The designer expressed his regret, stating, “the situation turned quite absurd as we continuously revised and refined the designs, although I refrained from challenging his authority as he is the one in charge.”
Clooney’s caped hero outfit is not the sole Dark Knight attire that has caused surprise.
“The Batman” trailer, directed by Matt Reeves, was released in August 2020, which delightfully divided fans of Robert Pattinson, who was playfully referred to as “Emo” due to his black eyeliner.
The director has recently discussed the Caped Crusader’s dark and eerie makeup in an interview with Esquire.
“You cannot don a hood and refrain from wearing that,” the director of “Cloverfield,” who is 56 years old, asserted. “All of the Batmen sport that.”
Once the disguise was taken off, this eyeliner would mysteriously vanish. The vigilante known as the Dark Knight, who wears black makeup around their eyes to avoid having a noticeable pale area within the mask’s eye openings, was probably making a reference to the previous cinematic portrayals of Reeves.
