The world knows him as Bond, but his name was almost Wayne… Bruce Wayne. As it turns out, former 007 Pierce Brosnan almost starred in Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, but passed on the role because he felt it was too ridiculous. In a recent Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session, Brosnan was asked if he ever considered playing the iconic role. His answer may surprise you:
“Yes I did. I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman. But I just couldn’t really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously. That was my foolish take on it. It was a joke, I thought. But how wrong was I?”
As we know, Michael Keaton eventually landed the role of Batman, and is still revered for that performance to this day. Other actors in contention for the role prior to his casting included Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck, Kevin Costner, and even Bill Murray.
Now, it’s hard picturing any of those actors in the role, but Brosnan may have been a good choice. He eventually went on to play a different debonair, gadget-loving and ass-kicking hero in three James Bond films, so perhaps he made up for the decision to pass on the role of Batman. He definitely sounds like he regrets it now, and sees just how wrong he was about the character. You have to give him some credit though, considering that the on-screen Batman before him was Adam West in the 1960’s TV series.
He went on to say:
“Don’t get me wrong, because I love Batman, and I grew up on Batman. As a kid in Ireland, we used to get our raincoats and tie them round our neck and swing through the bicycle shed.”
What do you think of the prospect of a Pierce Brosnan Batman? Do you think he would have been a good Caped Crusader? Let us know in the comments section below.