Cooli-No: How Coolio Nearly Played Scarecrow In Joel Schumacher's 'Batman'

Well, it looks like someone else in the world of Hollywood has set their vengeance sights on #JoelSchumacher. While '90s rapper Coolio may not be known for a stellar acting career, he has appeared in the likes of Kenan and Kel, Daredevil, and even Schumacher's maligned Batman & Robin. However, did Schumacher snatch an A-list future and a star on the walk of fame from Coolio's grasp?

We all know that Batman & Robin tanked the Caped Crusader's franchise and all plans for Schumacher to return for a third #Batman film were canned. Warner Bros. was planning on keeping the franchise rolling, but Schumacher ended up laying it to rest for eight years. When Christopher Nolan took over, we saw Cillian Murphy brilliantly bring Dr. Jonathan Crane, a.k.a. Scarecrow, to our screens, however, according to Coolio, he was supposed to be the man behind the mask.

The Doctor is in.

Speaking to the Burleson Star, Leon Ivy Jr. (Coolio) spoke about his brief cameo in Schumacher's second Batman adventure, and on missing out on the chance to play Crane:

“'Batman & Robin' was the only Batman that didn’t make money. I’m still sore about that a little bit, cause the only reason I did that part is because they promised me the villain part in the following Batman, which they didn’t do, because Joel Schumacher – they fired him.”

It is a conflicting rumor, especially considering that the general consensus was that Nicholas Cage would've been the one to step into the role of the fear toxin-spouting psychiatrist. However, we do know that Coolio appeared in Batman & Robin in a minuscule part, setting off Batgirl's bike chase sequence, so him being promised the role of Scarecrow isn't out of the realms of possibility.

Scarecrow was planned for an inclusion in Schumacher's Batverse after the success of Batman Forever. The director claimed that he wanted to take Batman to a really dark place, and approached Cage for the role of Scarecrow after seeing him in Face/Off. Considering that Schumacher wanted a Nolan-esque darkness for his third film, it seems a little odd that we got the bright neon and ice puns of Batman & Robin.

Unchained Melody

The scrapped film, titled Batman Unchained, aimed to pit Bruce against a double team of Scarecrow and Harley Quinn. After being blasted with fear toxin, Batman would've faced his foes from previous encounters, starting with Burton's 1989 film and reprising the likes of Michelle Pfeiffer and Tommy Lee Jones in their villain roles. He apparently aimed to tie together the late '80s/early '90s Batman films in a neat bow, but it (thankfully) never came to be.

Batman & Robin poked a rubber nipple in the eye of Warner Bros. and Schumacher was dramatically fired, taking all ideas of Scarecrow and Coolio with him. Luckily, Murphy took on the role in 2005 and we can get the nightmare of Coolio in the role out of our heads. As for the spaghetti-haired rapper, you could say that he is still a little bitter about the film's "frosty" reception:

"He was supposed to do the two next ones. He and I didn’t get along that good anyway – I mean he made a terrible Batman movie. But the next villain was supposed to be the Scarecrow. They didn’t do it though. Maybe one day. I’m sure they won’t come calling, though.”

You know what, Coolio, I'm pretty sure they won't come calling either!

(Source: Burleson Star YouTube)