Warner Bros. Reportedly Wanted Steven Seagal To Play BATMAN Before Michael Keaton Landed The Role

Warner Bros. Reportedly Wanted Steven Seagal To Play BATMAN Before Michael Keaton Landed The Role

It may be hard to picture Steven Seagal as Batman now, but back in 1989 before Micheal Keaton signed on to play The Dark Knight for Tim Burton, Warner Bros. was considering the action star for the role...

By MarkCassidy - Jun 24, 2019 12:06 PM EST
Filed Under: Batman (1989)
Can you picture Steven Seagal in the Batsuit? Well, Warner Bros. certainly could back in the late '80s when the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne was being cast for Tim Burton's first ever big-screen take on the iconic DC hero.

To mark the 30th anniversary of the film, Screenwriter Sam Hamm gave SyFy Wire an intriguing insight into the studio's early plans for the character. It seems WB had decided to focus more on Batman than Bruce Wayne, and wanted to cast someone who could handle the physical aspects of the role.

One name the studio suggested was then rising action movie star Steven Seagal.

“There were a lot of people at Warner Brother who wanted to cast it with an action star. They wanted to cast the part as Batman, as opposed to casting it as Bruce Wayne. You have to make Bruce Wayne work, because Batman is, for the most part, going to be a stunt guy, or it’s going to be somebody running around in a costume in long shot. You don’t need the martial arts expertise of, say, Steven Seagal or somebody like that because you can fake all of that kind of stuff. Seagal was one of the people that was suggested to us.”

Hamm doesn't think Seagal ever actually read for the part, and, thankfully, the far more capable and charismatic Michael Keaton ultimately donned the cape and cowl.

While Bruce Wayne is arguably more important to get right than Batman, a lot of fans believe that The Caped Crusader's considerable fighting prowess still hasn't been done justice to in live-action. Hopefully that's something Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson take into account for their upcoming reboot.
BATMAN Star Michael Keaton Says He'll Never Understand Why People Had An Issue With Him Being Cast
Related:

BATMAN Star Michael Keaton Says He'll "Never Understand" Why People Had An Issue With Him Being Cast

Tim Burton On Difference Between BATMAN And Today's Superhero Movies, SUPERMAN, And Possible Return To Genre
Recommended For You:

Tim Burton On Difference Between BATMAN And Today's Superhero Movies, SUPERMAN, And Possible Return To Genre

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4
knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 6/24/2019, 12:32 PM
#terribleidea .........
MexCowboyNation
MexCowboyNation - 6/24/2019, 12:33 PM
@knocturnalzen10 - Just like the Colts.
knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 6/24/2019, 12:35 PM
@MexCowboyNation - i hope dak's busted for possession and has to miss a couple of games :)
MUTO123
MUTO123 - 6/24/2019, 12:33 PM
Thank [frick] that didn't happen.
SonOfAGif
SonOfAGif - 6/24/2019, 1:22 PM
@MUTO123 - Never forget how close this was to happening:

knocturnalzen10
knocturnalzen10 - 6/24/2019, 1:31 PM
@SonOfAGif - @supercat's gif for this had me in tears for 2 days
MUTO123
MUTO123 - 6/24/2019, 1:55 PM
@SonOfAGif - I'll take that over Steven Seagal as any superhero any day of the week.
PeenWeinersteen
PeenWeinersteen - 6/24/2019, 3:42 PM
@SonOfAGif - While I was never big fan of Cage for the role, after watching the documentary on this movie, I would have like to see it come to life.
MosquitoFarmer
MosquitoFarmer - 6/25/2019, 12:11 AM
@SonOfAGif - I would gladly have watched it. Escpecially if it were released now. The story they wanted to tell was pretty wild and out there, particularly considering how far we've come in telling these superhero stories on film.

Hawknaba
Hawknaba - 6/25/2019, 3:13 AM
@MUTO123 - A movie with Seagal starring opposite Danny Devito sounds like pure anarchy
tmp3
tmp3 - 6/24/2019, 12:35 PM
Russian Batman?
MuadDib
MuadDib - 6/24/2019, 12:36 PM
Aside from his real life Aikido skills... and he’s tall.. I don’t see it... maybe in an alternate reality...
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 6/24/2019, 12:54 PM
@MuadDib - His "skills" seem to have dwindled over the years...

MuadDib
MuadDib - 6/24/2019, 1:15 PM
@L0RDbuckethead - at 67 years old, 6’4.. the guy is still extremely dangerous.. has he gotten fat and old? Yeah... could he whip some ass IRL? Yep!
L0RDbuckethead
L0RDbuckethead - 6/24/2019, 1:26 PM
@MuadDib - I'd LOVE to see him "fight" someone at that age.
Battabing
Battabing - 6/24/2019, 1:40 PM
@L0RDbuckethead - Looks like a gymnastics exhibition.
Kumkani
Kumkani - 6/24/2019, 2:01 PM
@L0RDbuckethead - This is [frick]ing hilarious
MexCowboyNation
MexCowboyNation - 6/24/2019, 12:38 PM



Kevwebsz
Kevwebsz - 6/24/2019, 12:39 PM


amazing
Victorg1983
Victorg1983 - 6/25/2019, 6:55 AM
@Kevwebsz - I forgot about his run hahahahaha imagine that cape behind him.
RageDriver2401
RageDriver2401 - 6/24/2019, 12:40 PM
How come no one's reporting on WB's new CEO?

https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/warner-bros-ann-sarnoff-1203251469/
1 2 3 4
View Recorder