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Actors considered to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in this movie


Harrison Ford - Great actor, maybe too high profile at the time

Mel Gibson - Was the first choice for the role but turned it down, IMO, while a great actor, he was too short

Kurt Russell - He would have been a great choice I think.

Charlie Sheen - Too young, I think

Kevin Costner - Too clean cut

Pierce Brosnan - Had met with Tim Burton about playing the role but turned it down as he couldn't take it seriously. He would have been a good Bruce Wayne, but as Batman IDK

Tom Selleck - Batman PI?

Dennis Quaid - An interesting choice and I would go with that

Ray Liotta - Declined a meeting with Tim Burton but later regretted it, I could have seen him in the role, but then again we wouldn't have gotten him in "Goodfellas"

Alec Baldwin - Looks the part, could see why Burton would have considered him. He looks like the character from the 70s comic books

Rex Smith - The actor who played Daredevil in "The Trail of the Incredible Hulk", had stated that he had a meeting with WB who wanted him as their choice for the role while Burton wanted Michael Keaton

Kyle McLachlan - Was said to have lobbied for the role, good choice I think

Patrick Swayze

Jean Claude Van Damme - Was considered apparently

Steven Seagal - Was producer John Peter's main choice for the role

Willem Dafoe - Was considered for the Joker during the early stages and was later considered for the role. Now that would have been something

Tom Hanks - While a great actor, he's just "too nice of a guy" to play the role


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The only realistic choices would've been Russel. Brosnan. Quaid. Liotta. Baldwin (who youd think would've been the obvious choice from BJ but obviously Burton favoured Keaton bc of the mixture of crazy, kooky, and suave. plus he was a bigger name and a more dynamic actor. someone who couldve played batman or joker - which of course was one of the themes of the movie). The rest too famous or just not right for the role. And as we know some just couldn't get their head around doing Batman after the kiddie fun zany TV series (but really it was similar to Superman, there was the George Reeves kiddie TV show then there was the big movie in 1978.. And this was Batman's turn and based on the recent darker comics)

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Kurt Russell would've been good.

Michael Keaton, however, absolutely knocked it out of the park.

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No he didn’t. Too short and about as intimidating as a chipmunk.

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Alec Baldwin would have been good, he later went on to play the Shadow, a character who was a heavy influence for Kane and Finger's Batman.

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Chris Roots on fire!

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