Joel Schumacher originally cast Rene Russo as Chase Meridian for Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne, according to Lee Batchler. Russo previously played Keaton’s wife in One Good Cop (as pictured here). When Keaton’s agents asked for too much money for the film, WB looked into recasting Batman. Val Kilmer signed on and the studio determined that Russo was too old to play Kilmer's girlfriend, so they offered her the lead role in Outbreak to compensate. Russo would later join the comic book world as Frigga in the MCU.
Chase Meridian was created after WB restricted the writers from bringing back either Vicki Vale or Catwoman. The name “Chase” came from Lee Batchler’s affection for the name of Fred Astaire’s dance partner Barrie Chase while Meridian was named after the Prime Meridian on the globe, signifying Bruce trying to find the middle/balance between his two sides.
Listen to our exclusive interview with screenwriters Lee and Janet Scott Batchler. Link in bio. Write-up by @benwanwriter #batman #brucewayne #batmanforever #timburton #joelschumacher #chasemeridian #renerusso #nicolekidman #comicbook #comicbookmovie #comicbookresources #thedarkknight #dcuniverse #burtonsbatman #batmancontinues #podcast #schumachersbatman #michaelkeaton #valkilmer