If Keaton never made it in 1989......

[captain_jimbo]

That's funny, I always felt Christopher Reeve could have played a good Batman, as well as a great Cyclops.

 

[Palpadious]

I always thought Tom Berenger would've been a good Batman.

 

[Cain]

The king of the 80's box office himself:

Mr. Steve Guttenberg

His performance as both Gus and Lobo in Don't Tell Her It's Me prove that he's capable of handling the duality that is so integral to our favorite crimefighter.

 

[Dr. Fate]

That's funny, I always felt Christopher Reeve could have played a good Batman, as well as a great Cyclops.

He definitely would have made a good Cyclops.

And Michael Keaton could have been his Wolverine.

 

[Compi716]

Baldwin all the way. I always thought he had the look and voice to be a great Batman/Bruce Wayne.

 

[Lazlo Panaflex]

Funny but back in the 80's I had seen this image of Bruce Wayne drawn by Jim Aparo that looked like Hasselhoff, I always imagined both him as Bats and former teen idol Robbie Benson as Robin.

 

[Catman]

The king of the 80's box office himself:

Mr. Steve Guttenberg

 

[El Payaso]

Funny but back in the 80's I had seen this image of Bruce Wayne drawn by Jim Aparo that looked like Hasselhoff, I always imagined both him as Bats and former teen idol Robbie Benson as Robin.

In fact every male character drawn by Aparo was Bruce Wayne. Jim Gordon was Bruce Wayne with white hair and a moustache, Robin was a younger Bruce Wayne, etc etc. Some of his Bruces Wayne were older, some other fatter etc, but they were all the same.

So, David Hasselhoff would have done every male role.

 

[Doctor Baywatch]

Funny but back in the 80's I had seen this image of Bruce Wayne drawn by Jim Aparo that looked like Hasselhoff, I always imagined both him as Bats and former teen idol Robbie Benson as Robin.

If you think about it in terms of look it could have fit. Too bad he cannot act and would not be able to hold a multi-million $ movie. t:

 

[EagleVision]

Thanks.

Then there's the question - how about Val Kilmer in 1989's Batman?

Well, it certainly would have been a darker role for him to play with Burton as director. It would have been interesting to see and maybe as a result he wouldn't have passed up making Batman and Robin for The Saint at the time.

Kilmer certainly had that intuitive Neal Adams' Batman kind of quality. He was cool.

 

[EagleVision]

Funny but back in the 80's I had seen this image of Bruce Wayne drawn by Jim Aparo that looked like Hasselhoff, I always imagined both him as Bats and former teen idol Robbie Benson as Robin.

Heh, wow, Robby Benson, haven't heard that name in a while....

 

[EagleVision]

~

 

[buggs0268]

I believe at one point the studio wanted Mel Gibson and Willem Dafoe as the Joker. That would have been the perfect match up. But then Burton came out and said "Batman wears a mask. A handsome guy would never wear a mask" and went with Keaton. At least that is what I remember him saying. I have a manip I made of Gibson as Batman and Dafoe as the joker somewhere. I wil have to see if I can find it. This is how Dafoe looked back in the day. I think he would have been the best Joker. Watch Streets of Fire and you will see why he was rumored for a long time. Also how Gibson looked back then

 

[elgaz]

I'm not sure if Gibson would have made a good Batman. He's very jokey and light humoured and also a very high profile actor, it would have been hard to have accepted him as the tortured and quiet Bruce Wayne/Batman. Maybe more Harvey Dent?

Also, that quote from Burton is ridiculous. "A handsome never guy wears a mask" ....?? I've never read (in ANY Batman lore) that you had to be ugly to be Bruce Wayne/Batman. In fact, subsequent actors (Kilmer, Bale) have proved that statement to be untrue.

Gaz

 

[Doctor Baywatch]

I believe at one point the studio wanted Mel Gibson and Willem Dafoe as the Joker. That would have been the perfect match up. But then Burton came out and said "Batman wears a mask. A handsome guy would never wear a mask" and went with Keaton. At least that is what I remember him saying. I have a manip I made of Gibson as Batman and Dafoe as the joker somewhere. I wil have to see if I can find it. This is how Dafoe looked back in the day. I think he would have been the best Joker. Watch Streets of Fire and you will see why he was rumored for a long time.

Search!

 

[buggs0268]

I'm not sure if Gibson would have made a good Batman. He's very jokey and light humoured and also a very high profile actor, it would have been hard to have accepted him as the tortured and quiet Bruce Wayne/Batman. Maybe more Harvey Dent?

Also, that quote from Burton is ridiculous. "A handsome never guy wears a mask" ....?? I've never read (in ANY Batman lore) that you had to be ugly to be Bruce Wayne/Batman. In fact, subsequent actors (Kilmer, Bale) have proved that statement to be untrue.

Gaz

It was what Burton said for one of his reason's why he wanted Keaton. I remember a quot from him saying it after all the negativity on casting Mr. Mom (How Keaton was thought of before Batman). That isn't the exact quote, and I should have said "paraphraing Burton" But it was something close to that. He also told Bob Kane that Bruce Wayne doesn't have to have a squared chin.

And as far as Gibson doing a serious role, watch Mutiny on the Bounty or Mad Max.

 

[buggs0268]

Search!

If you watch Streets of Fire, he is basically playing THE JOKER in that. The manip I made was from the Lethal weapon 2 poster in the Keaton suit from Batman 89, and was composited over a matte painting from Batman Returns. It also had the Batman yellow type on it saying "Gibson Dafoe"

 

[elgaz]

Oh he can play serious roles - like Ransom also - but my point is he's such a high profile A-list actor that it's hard to see past that. People primarily remember him from stuff like Lethal Weapon with his wisecracks, so personally I would have found it hard to truly immerse myself in a film where he's meant to be the Dark Knight. Keaton wasn't A-list by any means so very few people had any huge preconceptions of him.

Dafoe would have been a perfect choice though

Gaz

 

[buggs0268]

Here is Dafoe in Streets of Fire:

[YT]3Fpiwil7-NY[/YT]

Only thing I could find on youtube and not the best scene with him. Literally he was totally doing the Joker in the movie.

 

[buggs0268]

Oh he can play serious roles - like Ransom also - but my point is he's such a high profile A-list actor that it's hard to see past that. People primarily remember him from stuff like Lethal Weapon with his wisecracks, so personally I would have found it hard to truly immerse myself in a film where he's meant to be the Dark Knight. Keaton wasn't A-list by any means so very few people had any huge preconceptions of him.

Dafoe would have been a perfect choice though

Gaz

Not true. There was a big backlash. Howard Stern Daily did a thing about his upset with them casting Keaton. There was a big backlash. Keaton was at the time "Mr. Mom" to everyone. That was what everyone was saying "they friggen cast Mr. Mom as Batman? You gotta be kidding?"

And Gibson wasn't doing the wisecrack thing until lethal Weapon 2, which was shot at the same time as Batman 89 and released later that summer (it was the preveiw along with yahoo serious attached to Batman). Lethal Weapon one he was very serious. Shane Black who wrote Lethal Weapon 1 did not like Lethal Weapon 2 as he felt they turned Riggs into a jokester instead of the over the edge cop. So Gibson was only known as a serious actor then and no one would have had a problem with him being Batman. Up to that point, Gibson had only been in heavy handed dramas.

This is Gibon in Mutiny on the Bounty
[YT]AA1dMkKNTIY[/YT]

 

[Dr. Fate]

I believe at one point the studio wanted Mel Gibson and Willem Dafoe as the Joker. That would have been the perfect match up. But then Burton came out and said "Batman wears a mask. A handsome guy would never wear a mask" and went with Keaton. At least that is what I remember him saying. I have a manip I made of Gibson as Batman and Dafoe as the joker somewhere. I wil have to see if I can find it. This is how Dafoe looked back in the day. I think he would have been the best Joker. Watch Streets of Fire and you will see why he was rumored for a long time. Also how Gibson looked back then

I've seen Streets of Fire, even own it, fun flick, great music. Dafoe would have made a great Joker. I'm sure Gibson would have turned in a fine Batman/Bruce Wayne performance.

 

[Damiean Dark]

Defoe still could have been joker in tdk hes old sure but he has such a great look about him and is a great actor. Id also throw Jim Carey in the mix he can act and i think he could have brought the comics joker to life i think of him when i read Knightfall.

 

[Dr. Fate]

If you watch Streets of Fire, he is basically playing THE JOKER in that. The manip I made was from the Lethal weapon 2 poster in the Keaton suit from Batman 89, and was composited over a matte painting from Batman Returns. It also had the Batman yellow type on it saying "Gibson Dafoe"

Funny you should bring up Dafoe and Streets of Fire, I was just recommending Michael Pare, who played the hero of Streets for Batman a few pages ago.

 

[ab38416]

edit

 

[Stryder]

Bruce Campbell!