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The Actors considered to play Batman in this film according to IMDB

posted 5 years ago by seanwhelan2310 (576)
14 replies | jump to latest

Kurt Russell - Could have done it, good choice
Al Pacino - Dunno, he would have been too short for the role
Patrick Swayze - Interesting choice
Mel Gibson - Heard he was the first choice, but I wouldn't have minded him
Tom Cruise - Nah too short
Nicolas Cage - No way
Harrison Ford - Pretty solid choice, but too tentpole at the time
Pierce Brosnan - Good choice but had he been Batman, then we would have never gotten Bond
Kevin Spacey - No
Alec Baldwin - Good choice aswell as he was a bit of an action man back at that time
Kevin Costner - Dunno, but good actor
Richard Gere - Too pretty-boy
Michael Biehn - Might have worked
Ray Liotta - Heard he turned it down, but I wouldn't mind if he were cast
Tom Hanks - Questionable one, could had the same effect as when Keaton was cast, but he seems a bit "too nice" for the role.
John Travolta - No
Sean Penn - Weird choice
Emilio Estevez - No
Matthew Broderick - No
Sylvester Stallone - Couldn't see him as Batman
Kevin Kline - No
William Hurt - No
Mickey Rourke - Great actor, but no
Bruce Willis - Bit of a diva and can't see him as Batman
Charlie Sheen - Were they joking?
Dennis Quaid - Could have done the job
Jeff Bridges - Not a bad choice
Bill Murray - Heard that he was considered for a comedy version, but IMO he wouldn't be my choice.
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Big dude, but the accent, things could have been way worse
Tom Selleck - Batman with a stache?
Kyle MacLachlan - Good choice, I would have gone with that
Steven Seagal - Heard Jon Peters wanted him in the role, but he doesn't having the chops
Jean-Claude Van Damme - Said that he audtioned, dunno if that's entirely true
Willem Dafoe - More Joker than Batman

[–] bozo_500 (13388) 5 years ago

Baldwin was the obvious choice: the height, voice, age, brooding look/persona and pretty much looked like Wayne from the 70s/80s Batman comics (similar to Reeve as Superman and like him was kind of an 'unknown'), .. plus hed worked with Burton before ..maybe he wasn't able to do it as hed signed up for another movie at the time?.. but also I think burton had his mind set on Keaton being a less obvious slightly off kilter/unhinged Wayne/batman. I guess had anyone but burton directed its safe to say a more obvious 'leading man' choice of the time would've been chosen like Baldwin, Russell, Quaid, McLachlan, Liotta etc depending who was available (don't think any of the 'A list' likes of Mel, Costner, Swayze, etc would have done it whatever the money)

[–] AckbarsRevenge (3800) 5 years ago

And out of all of these they picked... Michael Keaton??
Dunno.

[–] Ace_Spade (9658) 5 years ago

He's still my favourite Batman. He managed a blend of stylish aloof and off-base weird that worked way better than anything else I've seen. He was also genuinely menacing and creepy in the Batsuit. Keaton nailed it. He's right up there with Conroy (and the animation team).

[–] elmacho (1028) 5 years ago

Kyle McLachlan would have been the best choice, but probably no Twin Peaks for him then. after that, for me: Kurt Russell, and then Alec Baldwin.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

Baldwin was The Shadow. Did a great job in a much better movie. Too bad they didn't trade actors. writers, and directors.

[–] Zilkin (407) 5 years ago

Shadow is a much worse movie, with less cultural impact, than batman 1989. I could go in greater detail but I won't.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

No. You.

[–] Zilkin (407) 5 years ago

I guess that is why Tim Burton is one of the most important directors of the nineties while I don't even know who directed the shadow. Also why batman 1989 is one of the highest grossing movies of all time while the shadow was straight to video. I guess you are just that much smarter than all the movie critics and general movie audiences. Also Alec Baldwin is bland as fuck.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 5 years ago

The Shadow was not great but decent. I'd give it a 6/10. I'd give Batman a 4.5/10.

Burton is a wretched director who was propelled to fame because the wizards of Hollywood were trying to monetize "weird." Ever hear him talk in interviews or behind the scenes stuff? He is a vacant half-wit. He has two good movies. Scissorhands and Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Beetlejuice, after a rewatch, is actually pretty bad. All the rest of his movies are the same kind of sour. To be fair, I stopped giving him a chance after Planet of the Apes so I cannot judge his newer films (easy to guess they are the same).

I make no claim of being smarter than critics nor the general public. I only know a dog shit when I see it. I am not alone either. Batman did, indeed make a cultural splash. So did the Spice Girls.

Jack did some OK Joker stuff (only some of it, though). The rest is Batman lurching around behaving like an idiot instead of The World's Greatest Detective. Somehow, Burton went on to make a sequel twice as bad. His Batman movies are physically difficult to watch.

Shadow was not straight to video. It has its own batch of idiocy (popularized by Burton's goofy Batman) but it takes itself seriously for the most part and ends beautifully. It looks like a diamond next to Batman. I don't remember the director either but I think he did Highlander 1 and 2. So those cancel each other out. I remember thinking that the first one was brilliantly directed though. Highlander 1 was absolutely better than The Shadow. It was also better than anything Burton ever did.

[–] mitzibishi (2013) 5 years ago

The 89 Batman is so good man. Get on board!

[–] mitzibishi (2013) 5 years ago

The Shadows score is pretty good.

[–] HorrorMetal (874) 5 years ago

Some of those could have been cool.

[–] GreenGoblinsOck8 (7986) 5 years ago

Willem Dafoe can be good in the role of a good guy. Clear and Present Danger and Boondock Saints being prime examples. I admit though he is an odd choice for Batman.

[–] mitzibishi (2013) 5 years ago

Richard Gere had a good strong chin game and he could've pulled Bruce Wayne off. There's my vote.

Keaton was a good choice, although he had Bruce Wayne role that didn't play to his strengths at all. He was still good as Wayne.