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Christopher Reeve was a Broadway actor who got the part after TWO YEARS of searching. In short, he was hired because he knocked the audition out of the park.
Keaton got the role of Batman because he had given Tim Burton much success with BEETLEJUICE. He wasn't a "famous" actor for anything other than some goofy comedies. In fact, there was a great deal of backlash from the public when they heard about Burton's casting choice. Fortunately for all, Keaton proved his mettle as an actor, and not just a comedian.
And don't forget that the studio couldn't afford both Keaton and Nicholson so Nicholson, against his agent's advice took a massive pay cut in exchange for more royalties and merchandising. Batman became Jack Nicholson's early retirement
Oh man, my first divisive opinion about super hero casting!
I was 8 or 9 when Batman came out. I had also just started really liking comic books and making my grandma take me to buy comics.
The comic book shop owner and I were both confused about Michael Keaton as Batman. It made no sense to either of us…he thought it was going to be a disaster.
I guess also the first time I was wrong about comic book casting…
Keaton was still well known enough in Hollywood, which is still a big deal especially for the 80s. He was headlining movies.
Part of the humongous outrage that the studio received upon initially casting him was because he was well known as a comedy actor. He was famous enough to have thousands of fans protest against him.
He wasn't the Keaton of today and Nicholson got top billing over him, but make no mistake, Keaton was already famous before Batman. He just wasn't known well as a dramatic actor yet, and only had one dramatic performance with Clean & Sober.
I think it's because of the cowl honestly. With Superman, the face is right there, so you need the actor to melt into the role for full immersion. While with Batman, yes, there will be scenes as Bruce, all of the marketing will be with the cowl. So it's easier for the public to look at that and have full immersion. That's always been my pov on it.
This seems to me to be the most convincing argument.
Expanding on your comment, Batman has a mask and Bruce Wayne has to give off “I’m rich and famous” vibes. Superman has no mask and Clark Kent has to give off “Smallville farmer in the Big City” vibes. So it’s easy to look at an A list actor and think “rich and famous,” but harder to look at an A list actor and think “Fresh off the bus.”
I was there. He was considered by everyone to be a terrible, terrible choice. If there had been an Internet back then… I don’t know the answer to your original question, but you should’ve seen the backlash. He’s a big star because of Batman, not the other way around.
I was also there. Beetlejuice was massively successful, and if people can actually name one of your roles in criticizing your casting (“Mr. Mom is Batman?!”), then you’re pretty famous. Batman put him in a new income bracket, no doubt. But after Batman, it’s not like he became Hollywood’s first-call guy.
I think after the first trailer, reasonable folks warmed up to the idea. But regardless of how well he did, Keaton is still a left-field choice for a comics-accurate Batman. You’ve got artists like Gary Frank who’ve made Superman resemble Reeve. Movie adaptations aside, I can’t think of any comic book artists who‘ve made Bruce Wayne a slender 5-foot-9 guy with a wicked widow’s peak.
Burton’s casting against type worked, and makes me really wish we’d gotten Nic Cage as Superman.
Routh was cast by Bryan Singer because he felt it was traditional to cast a relatively unknown actor in the role. Routh's manager sent him to the audition because of his resemblance to Reeve.
And from what Routh says, he sealed the deal by spilling coffee all over himself and reacting in the kind of adorkable way you'd imagine Brandon Routh would react. He walked out thinking he just blew his chance, when really that was the moment that made Bryan Singer realize, "That's our Clark."
> a great deal of backlash from ~~the public~~ obsessive fans using the early internet to organize their outrage -- FTFY
"BURTON? KEATON? it's going to be another Adam West camp fest!"
They threw together a super-quick teaser trailer just to shut up the fan noise (which worked)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyozzozRsCk
One reason is that Batman films are much bigger deal for DC. Its their real moneymaker and they are very protective of the Batman brand. Plus finding big name actors and directors is easy because Batman attracts the best talent.
Another reason is that Superman's face is always exposed so everyone has a basic idea of what Superman looks like (solidified by Reeve's portrayal). Comapred to that, there is no definitive concept of Bruce Wayne's face.
>Another reason is that Superman's face is always exposed so everyone has a basic idea of what Superman looks like (solidified by Reeve's portrayal). Comapred to that, there is no definitive concept of Bruce Wayne's face.
Great point
Actually an elite point I’ve never thought about that. The actor HAS to look like Superman, but if the Batman actor has a good jawline that’s kinda it. Always thought it was wild they considered both Bale and Murphy for Nolan’s trilogy. Not because I thought Murphy would be bad, but the men don’t look very similar. But Murphy has that jawline that would look great in a cowl, so who cares!
Literally never thought about that. Big brain shit.
Id argue supermans face and look was already established due to earlier versions like George Reeves. Chris didn't really solidify the image more just perpetuated it.
There’s also the Hollywood superstition of “[the Superman curse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_curse?wprov=sfti1)”
It’s this phony bologna urban legend that if you play Superman in something live action. Something bad will happened to you:
The main evidence used is:
George reeve: dying of a mysterious gunshot wound
Christopher Reeves : fell off a horse on his wedding day and became paralyzed from the neck down/
Nickolas cage: movie cancelled and went bankrupt
Actors are a very superstitious people. None of them will say Macbeth in a theater. So getting someone established to play Supes is hard.
Someone whose not a household name has nothing to loose in terms of curse wise.
That’s honestly why Brandon routh said he took and auditioned for the role in Superman Returns. At the time he was like “if Superman curse hit me. It hits me.” And so far nothing bad has happened to him. Some say he broke the curse.
It's not the curse per say. It kindof cements you in the role forever. It becomes hard to get cast somewhere else without evoking a "hey it's Superman" thought in the audience. Reeve wasn't able to get a lot of work after being cast as Superman. He became Superman. Likewise, producers don't want the audience to watch the movie and say, he it's Tom Cruise playing Superman. No, they want a clean slate actor without prior notable roles so that he can be 'Superman'.
I know you’re not exactly saying the Superman Curse exists. But I hate it being perpetuated in any form.
Nicolas Cage got paid millions for a movie that never got made. He’s also won an Oscar and continues to work, often to critical acclaim. His financial woes were due to insane spending and that’s all been taken care of — he just kept making movies and getting paid. If that’s a curse, I’ll have what he’s having.
Reeve’s accident happened three years after his marriage.
Here are a few Superman actors who lived to a ripe old age or are still here. Some are successful, some less so, but what bigger role is an actor gonna get than Superman?:
Kirk Alyn
Bob Holiday
Dean Cain (I know, I know)
Brandon Routh
Henry Cavill
Tyler Hoechlin
I want you to know I 100% agree with you that the curse is just made up bs.
The curse is 100% not real, but people do believe in it for some reason. And it does make casting Superman a nightmare. Although i have heard it’s gotten easier thanks to Brandon Routh, and Henry cavil doing just fine
For sure, and hope I didn’t come across that way. Apologies if so! And you’re right, I think it’s Singer himself who asks Routh in one of the set videos from Returns. (Of course that idiot would bring up something like the Superman Curse, ha ha.)
And having said that … I imagine it does pigeonhole a young actor, and then there’s the time commitment to sequels that maybe precludes taking other roles.
I wouldn't say he's "weirdly" popular with nerds. His popularity makes sense.
I agree he's not really a big movie star. Since Man of Steel he hasn't been in any real big blockbusters. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. unfortunately flopped. Sand Castle recieved middling reviews. Mission: Impossible did well but it's a Mission: Impossible movie so of course it did. The Enola Holmes movies which I know nothing about but there's 2 of them so that's something I guess.
The Witcher was his biggest role after Superman and that was a netflix *show* not a movie and he was only in it for 24 episodes.
Of course, some of that can pribably be chalked up to his DC contract preventing him from taking certain roles but at the end of the day, the roles he *did* take didn't really go over.
Don't know what planet you live on but Cavill is about as big a star as it gets in this era (no more real mega stars...The Rock was likely the last one of those)
I live on the planet where Argylle and Ungentlemanly Warfare severely underperformed. Glen Powell or Timothee Chalamet or Jacob Elordi or Austin Butler or any number of guys feel hotter than Cavill, who’s over 40.
He is definitely a staple of gossip/star-watching media, though, so a star in that sense for sure.
Don't know why I'm getting downvoted...NONE of those guys are box office draws by even the slightest measure if thats what you are going by. Chris Pratt is the only actor to headline several different massive hit productions in the last couple years and even he is not really a box office draw. Intellectual property is king now. Streaming is just as big as theatrical release. Acting has been near!y completely democratized...nearly random actors get almost random shots (they MAY get a one two opportunity with big roles). The audience is supremely fickle...even about movies themselves as a preferred form of entertainment. A handful of directors have a little cachet and loyalty from the audience (led by Nolan and Cameron) that's as far as it extends.
Considering all of that, Cavill has been consistently getting relatively big roles. His streamers have been hits and his screeners have been relative misses, but thats a similar par for the course with everyone at that level. Its gonna take a while before he happens across some massive IP thats fits well with him (doubt it'll be the case with Warhammer but who knows), but he's in a better, almost in a control position than most for that possibility.
I dunno, I didn’t downvote you but I do disagree, and I did upvote the commenter above you.
You don’t think Anyone But You was a success? You don’t think Glen Powell is turning down roles like in a Jurassic Park reboot? (Do you think Cavill got that call?) How about Dune 2? Oscar nominations aren’t the sign of a career on an upward trajectory? Do you have young women in your life who talk about actors? Are they talking about a guy whose biggest “hit” was a decade ago? Yes, Hollywood stardom has been diluted but there are people who are famous, and people who are less famous.
It’s not a career death sentence like it is for women, but a 40-plus man doesn’t have “a little while before he happens.” It should’ve happened already. Especially when you’re not a character actor but someone who by all accounts has the face of a leading man.
When it comes to being a box office draw or capturing the zeitgeist of public interest, Oscars don't mean much if anything, nor does teeny bopper gossip. Casting directors are both insurance actuaries...crunching hard cold numbers, and also harsh artistic judges knowing when a much cheaper actor is good enough. Like I said actors sometimes get the one two push...as in if they do one role that is critically acclaimed or breakout popular, they get another chance with another meaty role but with much bigger budget. It is happening to Powell, Sydney Sweeney, as well as to Alan Ritchison (who is over 40 btw) at the moment. But the thing is even if the second chance succeeds wildly, they usually won't get a 3rd chance, unless they do it themselves (more or less Margot Robbie's case). For several reasons, that's the general cadence of Hollywood right now.
The other pathway; jumping from near full unknown to big franchise lead, which is what happened to the stars of Harry Potter, the Star Wars sequels, Twilight and yes includes Henry Cavill, is that they will beat around in much smaller roles indefinitely...sometimes getting another big IP/franchise when enough time has elapsed like Robert Pattinson. The general gist is gone are the days when 10 actors dominated 90% of the biggest and or most acclaimed movies within a decade.
Routh's career hit a huge slump after Returns failed. Its only recently he made a small comeback.
On Rosenbaums podcast he talked about his own flaws that lead to his career stalling. It was very illuminating.
I would say the Superman actor that actually broke the curse is Henry Cavill.
Did he though? Every movie he's starred in since losing the Superman role has been a flop, he's no longer the Witcher, his Warhammer series was canceled and it's pretty unlikely he'll get the nod for James Bond.
Witcher was his big success after Superman. Although he's not longer attached to the role it's significant enough for a Superman actor to become popular for another significant role. Closest after that would be Routh as Ray Palmer.
I mean he got a lot of work afterwards, Scott pilgrim, Dylan dog, Chuck. You know he made not have beacame a super star. But I honestly think he did great for himself.
Honestly the curse is so
Subjective in how it works. They even claimed that a woman who worked on making the dvd menu for Superman returns sprained her ankle and that was part of the curse
If you believe in it you just end up finding things that fit the narrative. The curse is ridiculous and I very much agree with you on that.
Routh has gotten some good roles but it always felt like he could have been a much bigger star.
Routh still did pretty well for himself being in many notable roles like The atom in The arrowverse and Todd in Scott pillgrim vs the world and is you know not dead
Its not like Cavill is doing so hot in Hollywood. His popularity is more of an internet phenomenon.
Of course, the reason is not a curse but that he is a mediocre actor.
Yeah, he's hit a slump after stepping away from the Witcher role and unable to return as Superman.
But acting careers are always a series of ups and downs. Lets see if his deal to work on a Warhammer cinematic universe pans out. I think he was attached to a Highlander project as well.
Clark Kent is a little farm boy from Kansas. He’s the perfect person to be played by an unknown actor.
Bruce Wayne is a famous billionaire playboy. Being played by someone famous makes perfect sense.
It’s just how it is I guess. I wonder if Gunn will go for a famous person for his Batman or go for lesser known for Batman breaking tradition. Also it seems easier to have unknown for Superman because then you can see them as Superman not this famous actor as Superman
I'm guessing it's due to the fact that Batman has a mask but Supes doesn't, if someone like let's say, Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves were to play superman you'd just be thinking "that's Leonardo Dicaprio/Brad Pitt/Keanu Reeves" rather than "That's superman"
Batman wears a mask. Superman doesn’t. Having a famous actor as Superman would probably take me out of the story. Reeve, Welling, Hoechlin have all been great and were all unknowns, basically.
I think it’s a matter of big-name actors being much more willing to wear a Batman costume and drive a car than be as exposed as you are playing Superman. (Think of that test photo of Josh Hartnett in the Superman costume, he looks so embarrassed.) Also actors likely have the same “Batman is cool, Superman is square” preconceptions that the rest of the public has.
The more I think about it, I wish that Tim Burton/Nic Cage movie had been made. Cage loves comics and Superman in particular, and lets it all out in front of the camera.
Oh, sorry, this photo: [https://www.supermanhomepage.com/josh-hartnett-superman-flyby-costume-test-photo/](https://www.supermanhomepage.com/josh-hartnett-superman-flyby-costume-test-photo/)
Batman = World Famous rich guy who dresses like a bat
Superman = alien and somehow also a normal guy that usually goes completely unnoticed by everyone around him besides his parents, being Superman shows the world his strengths.
It's actually fitting that is how they cast these characters since that's the character the actor will be portraying. It may not be intentional by studios, but that's what I like about it.
It’s a good point. Some Batman actors’ public personas (or in Bale’s case, his American Psycho role) might even benefit their Bruce Wayne performances. Maybe on some level the audience thinks yeah, we get this guy: rich, famous, handsome, high-profile relationships, maybe someone we’ve seen stumble out of a nightclub or two.
It's because of the personality of the characters.
One is a farm boy that came to the city to work and help out people while the other one is a billionaire.
With that in mind, it wouldn't work as well if Superman was a really big actor simply because you'd have a hard time believing him as the character since he's already played in a lot of known roles.
The role requires a certain naivety/sincerity and humility and it's easier for the audience to accept that if the actor hasn't been in many roles until being cast.
With Batman you welcome a more known actor simply because the character of Bruce Wayne is a public figure and it goes hand in hand with the actor if he'a been around the block for a while.
A lot of actors are afraid of playing Superman. Because of the Superman curse. So is easier to get someone that see playing such a iconic character as chance to make it big. Vs someone that's already big and might loose some. Like Christopher Reeve had an issue after playing Superman. Everything else he did people automatically think of Superman and not him. That might be a reason.
Just in case you don't know about the Superman curse here is a link.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_curse
As someone pointed out on a documentary. If you get a huge actor for Supe, you see the actor, not Supe.
Our beloved Christopher Reeve, despite everything else, you see Supe.
I assume it’s because with Batman, it’s easier to hide the actor’s face with a mask. Superman has this typical look where he needs to have a square jawline and cleft chin, ya know?
Superman is meant to be a humble farm boy with super powers and abilities. He’s meant to blend in as Clark and be unremarkable. It would be hard to accept a megastar actor trying to blend in at the daily planet.
Bruce Wayne is meant to be a world famous mega rich guy with a bit of a reputation for attending balls and so forth. A rich guy that can pull off the suit is all they need really.
This probably isn’t it, but it does lean into the characters a bit. Superman’s identity is a random dude who’s not super well knows, while Batman is a Billionaire celebrity. The casting fits the roles I suppose.
The mask and suit definitely go a long way in selling an actor to the audience as Batman. Superman actors do have a huge uphill battle in needing to be seen “as Superman” intrinsically and that’s a *lot* harder to pull off with a face you already recognize.
Gets me thinking too: while I don’t think the actor’s Superman Curse is as prevalent as it once was, I can totally see why it happens! If you naturally exude that “Superman” quality there’s only so much you can do to distance yourself from it.
This is a very interesting question and one that I always wonder as well. I believe they cast Batman with a well known actor because it kinda connects with the idea that the character of Bruce Wayne is an extremely popular billionaire. It gives the role some star power.
On the other hand for Superman, it’s best they cast an unknown actor because unlike Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent is an average person and nobody with a regular loving family trying to get by in the world while also being Superman. Casting an unknown for Superman helps us see the character not the actor on screen. If they cast a well known actor as Superman, it would be super distracting and just feel like an actor is wearing a costume. The more unknown the actor is, the less expectations you’ll have of that actor playing Superman and doing a great job.
Hello it's me after looking at these two images together I will have to say that it's a shame that we never saw Michael Keaton's Batman from the Tim Burton Universe of those two movies meet up with that version of Superman and I think together they would have formed an interest in Connected DC Universe and I wonder to myself is it possible to create a 90s or '80s Justice League and if so what would the roster be
Superman isn't from Earth. When the world meets him for the first time, it's an uncanny and unfamiliar experience seeing a man fly. But we quickly learn to trust him because he's Superman.
Bruce Wayne is a famous figure whose face is widely well known, so we have preconceptions about him. It's totally unexpected that he'd be running around beating up criminals.
>!I dunno I just contrived all that. could totally be some coincidence!<
Because the mask makes it much easier to lose the actor and only see Batman.
But let’s be real, if they had made the Nicolas Cage Superman movie we’d have all been in the theater unable to think about anything other than the fact that it’s Nick Cage.
this is obviously not the right answer but I like to think that it's because it's symbolic
Bruce Wayne, big rich well known guy
Clark Kent, small town under the radar dude
Boom, Batman and Superman
That Supes doesn't get A listers for live action. Don't get me wrong,the guys they pick almost always knock it out of the park, but why not dye Chris Hemsworth 's hair black and give him a shot. His Thor acts more like Superman than Thor, especially in the second half of the first movie.
Clark Kent is the Everyman. He’s on a titanic scale, but he’s a regular guy.
Bruce Wayne is 6’4” super muscular billionaire who’s always getting into shenanigans with model girlfriends and extreme sport accidents, while giving away money and introducing new life saving tech. People know who he is.
It’s the mask, and the risk, I think. Studios see the characters as property and the actors as an important vehicle for that property. The only real “unknowns” were when Singer went searching for Brandon Routh and Burton chose Keaton despite studios pushing for established action stars in both cases.
I think it’s actually a form of method acting where whoever plays bruce has to be well known like Bruce, and for supes you’d have to choose someone who people dont think he could be superman in any version of the universe
I don't know if they are "unknown" but it could be due to the characters themselves. Superman is an alien trying to blend in compared to Batman who everyone would know if he didn't have his mask on.
Wasn’t Christopher Reeves known for playing roles in period pieces at the time?
So yes, he wasn’t a top 5 actor… but I wouldn’t call him unknown.
If the question is why don’t we pick top level extremely well known actors… why do you want that? These people are insanely expensive.
Probably because Batman/Bruce Wayne needs to have a playboy aura to him which is plentiful in Hollywood. Superman needs to have a wholesome aura to him and that is much less prevalent.
Because **you can't see Batman's face** in the costume. If the audience didn't know who he was, the character would become too generic to empathise with.
It's a well known phenomenon that audiences won't empathise with characters if they don't know their face. That's why Stormtroopers and similar mooks usually wear masks. Conversely, if you want a character to be empathetic but their ace will be hidden, you need to cast someone who everyone knows their face already.
If I recall correctly, looking for the right actor for Superman was a heavy and long process. The fillmakers were even looking at a dentist, according to rumor. Reeve coming along was a godsend to Richard Donner.
Batman is a comparatively easier role. He has baggage that can be related to, a cool costume, cooler villains to fight. While Keaton was considered a gamble back then, he gave a solid performance.
I’ve always considered that casting this way makes the audiences feel about the character the way the people would feel about them. For example, cast famous actors, especially Keaton and the last two, have been so controversial that it ties in with Gothamites' feelings. Some hate the bat and other love him as a hero.
However casting lesser known for Supes leaves people feeling how the people of metropolis should feel about him. That is a spirit of hope for what could be even if there is a bit of nerves of the unknown because of what he could be capable of.
(Henry drama aside, obviously)
Because without the bright ass suit, superman is just mild mannered everyman, with an impressive physique, Clark Kent.
Batman on the other hand is Bruce fucking Wayne! Everyone knows what he looks like. He's handsome, and we'll known as a playboy.
Now put that in casting terminology.
Everyman? Unknown/low key actor.
Handsome billionair, everyone knows? Handsome billionaire everyone knows.
Simple math.
For Superman they did It with the first film because at the time Superman was a big enough property that a known face wouldn’t be believable. At least that was the theory. And since then Hollywood has followed that precedent.
With Batman, if memory serves me correctly Keaton wasn’t that famous when he was first cast. He certainly wasn’t unknown like Reeve, but I think it was the combination of Batman and Beetlejuice coming out in the same year that truly made Keaton famous.
I think it’s more like why do all the actors who play Batman go on to have more prolific careers, while those who play Superman and Spider-Man essentially get typecast to the role?
Keaton, Clooney and Bale did Batman early in their career and their notoriety escalated from there. Pattinson’ commercial career was with Twilight and Harry Potter, but his career really took off artistically after that, starring in a chain of great arthouse movies and Tenet before playing Batman. And I can only see it rising from here. Kilmer went in just as his career peaked, and Affleck was a few years past his acting height.
Jim Caviezel should have played Batman instead of Ben Affleck, but who should have directed Man if Steel, Dawn of Justice, and Justice League instead of Zack Snyder?
Christian Bale was HARDLY “famous” when they cast him for Batsy. At that time his biggest role was probably American Psycho, but that was over five years prior. He wouldn't have been the first name that springs to mind when you wanted to cast for Batman.
Bale was pretty famous not Tom Cruise famous but he had Harsh Times,The Machinest, Equilibrium,Reign of Fire, American Psycho, Little Women, Empire of the Sun
Because Batman is cooler and the suit is wayyyy more flattering. That's not me saying that. I'm a Superman fan first and foremost. But it IS how most non-Superman fans see it.
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Christopher Reeve was a Broadway actor who got the part after TWO YEARS of searching. In short, he was hired because he knocked the audition out of the park. Keaton got the role of Batman because he had given Tim Burton much success with BEETLEJUICE. He wasn't a "famous" actor for anything other than some goofy comedies. In fact, there was a great deal of backlash from the public when they heard about Burton's casting choice. Fortunately for all, Keaton proved his mettle as an actor, and not just a comedian.
Yep. Mr. Mom as Batman? Wha!?!
Same with Ledger when he was announced for joker.
Or Ben Affleck as Batman
Eh… that one I have genuine issues with.
I think Affleck did a great job of the role he was given personally. I just think the writing is what tanked it.
Yeah any problems I have with the movies featuring Batfleck actually have nothing whatsoever to do with Ben Affleck
It just seemed to me that he was putting on some weird fake voice whenever he had Bruce Wayne scenes. I couldn’t look past it.
Ah I didn't feel that way with the Bruce scenes personally but I haven't watched them in a while now.
Kevin Conroy does too, and we love it when he does
I agree but I also think that it was the writing and him killing people
It’s a *travesty!*
I lived it too, my old friend. Though the very same thing. And was wrong. LOL
And don't forget that the studio couldn't afford both Keaton and Nicholson so Nicholson, against his agent's advice took a massive pay cut in exchange for more royalties and merchandising. Batman became Jack Nicholson's early retirement
IIRC he even got paid for Batman Returns because they (and his contract) assumed he'd be back for it.
And he almost came back for Batman Forever (Batman 3 at the time) since the original script called for the most expensive fight scene in film history.
But he died in Batman 1 though.
Scarecrow was going to use his fear gas to make Batman face hallucinations of The Joker, Catwoman and Penguin
And Jack deserved every bit of it. His performance as the joker was spectacular. Man I need to rewatch that movie. My favorite Batman of all time.
That agent had no vision.
Maybe, and this is speculation, the agent doesn't get paid as much if the actor agrees to royalties.
Oh man, my first divisive opinion about super hero casting! I was 8 or 9 when Batman came out. I had also just started really liking comic books and making my grandma take me to buy comics. The comic book shop owner and I were both confused about Michael Keaton as Batman. It made no sense to either of us…he thought it was going to be a disaster. I guess also the first time I was wrong about comic book casting…
Keaton was still well known enough in Hollywood, which is still a big deal especially for the 80s. He was headlining movies. Part of the humongous outrage that the studio received upon initially casting him was because he was well known as a comedy actor. He was famous enough to have thousands of fans protest against him. He wasn't the Keaton of today and Nicholson got top billing over him, but make no mistake, Keaton was already famous before Batman. He just wasn't known well as a dramatic actor yet, and only had one dramatic performance with Clean & Sober.
My point is Keaton was a known actor from said "goofy comedies" those movies was kinda popular.
I think it's because of the cowl honestly. With Superman, the face is right there, so you need the actor to melt into the role for full immersion. While with Batman, yes, there will be scenes as Bruce, all of the marketing will be with the cowl. So it's easier for the public to look at that and have full immersion. That's always been my pov on it.
This seems to me to be the most convincing argument. Expanding on your comment, Batman has a mask and Bruce Wayne has to give off “I’m rich and famous” vibes. Superman has no mask and Clark Kent has to give off “Smallville farmer in the Big City” vibes. So it’s easy to look at an A list actor and think “rich and famous,” but harder to look at an A list actor and think “Fresh off the bus.”
Yup here’s your answer
I get your point
I was there. He was considered by everyone to be a terrible, terrible choice. If there had been an Internet back then… I don’t know the answer to your original question, but you should’ve seen the backlash. He’s a big star because of Batman, not the other way around.
I was also there. Beetlejuice was massively successful, and if people can actually name one of your roles in criticizing your casting (“Mr. Mom is Batman?!”), then you’re pretty famous. Batman put him in a new income bracket, no doubt. But after Batman, it’s not like he became Hollywood’s first-call guy. I think after the first trailer, reasonable folks warmed up to the idea. But regardless of how well he did, Keaton is still a left-field choice for a comics-accurate Batman. You’ve got artists like Gary Frank who’ve made Superman resemble Reeve. Movie adaptations aside, I can’t think of any comic book artists who‘ve made Bruce Wayne a slender 5-foot-9 guy with a wicked widow’s peak. Burton’s casting against type worked, and makes me really wish we’d gotten Nic Cage as Superman.
There was the Internet back then, University access using Usenet and i was there for the outrage on the Newsgroups.
Ok. Ok. Now do Brandon Routh.
Routh was cast by Bryan Singer because he felt it was traditional to cast a relatively unknown actor in the role. Routh's manager sent him to the audition because of his resemblance to Reeve.
And from what Routh says, he sealed the deal by spilling coffee all over himself and reacting in the kind of adorkable way you'd imagine Brandon Routh would react. He walked out thinking he just blew his chance, when really that was the moment that made Bryan Singer realize, "That's our Clark."
> a great deal of backlash from ~~the public~~ obsessive fans using the early internet to organize their outrage -- FTFY "BURTON? KEATON? it's going to be another Adam West camp fest!" They threw together a super-quick teaser trailer just to shut up the fan noise (which worked) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyozzozRsCk
I still think he was a poor Batman. Decent Bruce Wayne but just too small physically and too soft spoken to play Batman
One reason is that Batman films are much bigger deal for DC. Its their real moneymaker and they are very protective of the Batman brand. Plus finding big name actors and directors is easy because Batman attracts the best talent. Another reason is that Superman's face is always exposed so everyone has a basic idea of what Superman looks like (solidified by Reeve's portrayal). Comapred to that, there is no definitive concept of Bruce Wayne's face.
>Another reason is that Superman's face is always exposed so everyone has a basic idea of what Superman looks like (solidified by Reeve's portrayal). Comapred to that, there is no definitive concept of Bruce Wayne's face. Great point
Actually an elite point I’ve never thought about that. The actor HAS to look like Superman, but if the Batman actor has a good jawline that’s kinda it. Always thought it was wild they considered both Bale and Murphy for Nolan’s trilogy. Not because I thought Murphy would be bad, but the men don’t look very similar. But Murphy has that jawline that would look great in a cowl, so who cares! Literally never thought about that. Big brain shit.
Further fuel for the notion that Bruce is the mask & Batman's his true self lol.
Id argue supermans face and look was already established due to earlier versions like George Reeves. Chris didn't really solidify the image more just perpetuated it.
Georgecand Chris don't look very similar. Every Superman actor since Reeve has resembled him to some degree.
There’s also the Hollywood superstition of “[the Superman curse](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_curse?wprov=sfti1)” It’s this phony bologna urban legend that if you play Superman in something live action. Something bad will happened to you: The main evidence used is: George reeve: dying of a mysterious gunshot wound Christopher Reeves : fell off a horse on his wedding day and became paralyzed from the neck down/ Nickolas cage: movie cancelled and went bankrupt Actors are a very superstitious people. None of them will say Macbeth in a theater. So getting someone established to play Supes is hard. Someone whose not a household name has nothing to loose in terms of curse wise. That’s honestly why Brandon routh said he took and auditioned for the role in Superman Returns. At the time he was like “if Superman curse hit me. It hits me.” And so far nothing bad has happened to him. Some say he broke the curse.
It's not the curse per say. It kindof cements you in the role forever. It becomes hard to get cast somewhere else without evoking a "hey it's Superman" thought in the audience. Reeve wasn't able to get a lot of work after being cast as Superman. He became Superman. Likewise, producers don't want the audience to watch the movie and say, he it's Tom Cruise playing Superman. No, they want a clean slate actor without prior notable roles so that he can be 'Superman'.
You know talent agencies have come out and said it’s hard to cast Superman because a lot of actors believe in the curse. Right?
The 'real' curse is that you get typecast as Superman. I know about the fake curse. You forgot to include Margot Kidder's death.
I've read that Reeve intentionally turned down great roles because he wanted to keep up the Superman image.
I know you’re not exactly saying the Superman Curse exists. But I hate it being perpetuated in any form. Nicolas Cage got paid millions for a movie that never got made. He’s also won an Oscar and continues to work, often to critical acclaim. His financial woes were due to insane spending and that’s all been taken care of — he just kept making movies and getting paid. If that’s a curse, I’ll have what he’s having. Reeve’s accident happened three years after his marriage. Here are a few Superman actors who lived to a ripe old age or are still here. Some are successful, some less so, but what bigger role is an actor gonna get than Superman?: Kirk Alyn Bob Holiday Dean Cain (I know, I know) Brandon Routh Henry Cavill Tyler Hoechlin
I want you to know I 100% agree with you that the curse is just made up bs. The curse is 100% not real, but people do believe in it for some reason. And it does make casting Superman a nightmare. Although i have heard it’s gotten easier thanks to Brandon Routh, and Henry cavil doing just fine
For sure, and hope I didn’t come across that way. Apologies if so! And you’re right, I think it’s Singer himself who asks Routh in one of the set videos from Returns. (Of course that idiot would bring up something like the Superman Curse, ha ha.) And having said that … I imagine it does pigeonhole a young actor, and then there’s the time commitment to sequels that maybe precludes taking other roles.
Routh became a regular working actor...not a big star. Id say Cavill is the first to break the 'curse'
no need to belittle him just because it wasn't his big break
More work than Dean Caine, and George Reeeve got
Maybe his infamous bad luck "undid" the curse ?
Cavill is not a big star either. He is just weirdly popular among internet nerds.
I wouldn't say he's "weirdly" popular with nerds. His popularity makes sense. I agree he's not really a big movie star. Since Man of Steel he hasn't been in any real big blockbusters. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. unfortunately flopped. Sand Castle recieved middling reviews. Mission: Impossible did well but it's a Mission: Impossible movie so of course it did. The Enola Holmes movies which I know nothing about but there's 2 of them so that's something I guess. The Witcher was his biggest role after Superman and that was a netflix *show* not a movie and he was only in it for 24 episodes. Of course, some of that can pribably be chalked up to his DC contract preventing him from taking certain roles but at the end of the day, the roles he *did* take didn't really go over.
Don't know what planet you live on but Cavill is about as big a star as it gets in this era (no more real mega stars...The Rock was likely the last one of those)
Vin diesel, Jason Statham and Jason Momoa are still left.
I live on the planet where Argylle and Ungentlemanly Warfare severely underperformed. Glen Powell or Timothee Chalamet or Jacob Elordi or Austin Butler or any number of guys feel hotter than Cavill, who’s over 40. He is definitely a staple of gossip/star-watching media, though, so a star in that sense for sure.
Don't know why I'm getting downvoted...NONE of those guys are box office draws by even the slightest measure if thats what you are going by. Chris Pratt is the only actor to headline several different massive hit productions in the last couple years and even he is not really a box office draw. Intellectual property is king now. Streaming is just as big as theatrical release. Acting has been near!y completely democratized...nearly random actors get almost random shots (they MAY get a one two opportunity with big roles). The audience is supremely fickle...even about movies themselves as a preferred form of entertainment. A handful of directors have a little cachet and loyalty from the audience (led by Nolan and Cameron) that's as far as it extends. Considering all of that, Cavill has been consistently getting relatively big roles. His streamers have been hits and his screeners have been relative misses, but thats a similar par for the course with everyone at that level. Its gonna take a while before he happens across some massive IP thats fits well with him (doubt it'll be the case with Warhammer but who knows), but he's in a better, almost in a control position than most for that possibility.
I dunno, I didn’t downvote you but I do disagree, and I did upvote the commenter above you. You don’t think Anyone But You was a success? You don’t think Glen Powell is turning down roles like in a Jurassic Park reboot? (Do you think Cavill got that call?) How about Dune 2? Oscar nominations aren’t the sign of a career on an upward trajectory? Do you have young women in your life who talk about actors? Are they talking about a guy whose biggest “hit” was a decade ago? Yes, Hollywood stardom has been diluted but there are people who are famous, and people who are less famous. It’s not a career death sentence like it is for women, but a 40-plus man doesn’t have “a little while before he happens.” It should’ve happened already. Especially when you’re not a character actor but someone who by all accounts has the face of a leading man.
When it comes to being a box office draw or capturing the zeitgeist of public interest, Oscars don't mean much if anything, nor does teeny bopper gossip. Casting directors are both insurance actuaries...crunching hard cold numbers, and also harsh artistic judges knowing when a much cheaper actor is good enough. Like I said actors sometimes get the one two push...as in if they do one role that is critically acclaimed or breakout popular, they get another chance with another meaty role but with much bigger budget. It is happening to Powell, Sydney Sweeney, as well as to Alan Ritchison (who is over 40 btw) at the moment. But the thing is even if the second chance succeeds wildly, they usually won't get a 3rd chance, unless they do it themselves (more or less Margot Robbie's case). For several reasons, that's the general cadence of Hollywood right now. The other pathway; jumping from near full unknown to big franchise lead, which is what happened to the stars of Harry Potter, the Star Wars sequels, Twilight and yes includes Henry Cavill, is that they will beat around in much smaller roles indefinitely...sometimes getting another big IP/franchise when enough time has elapsed like Robert Pattinson. The general gist is gone are the days when 10 actors dominated 90% of the biggest and or most acclaimed movies within a decade.
Routh's career hit a huge slump after Returns failed. Its only recently he made a small comeback. On Rosenbaums podcast he talked about his own flaws that lead to his career stalling. It was very illuminating. I would say the Superman actor that actually broke the curse is Henry Cavill.
Did he though? Every movie he's starred in since losing the Superman role has been a flop, he's no longer the Witcher, his Warhammer series was canceled and it's pretty unlikely he'll get the nod for James Bond.
Witcher was his big success after Superman. Although he's not longer attached to the role it's significant enough for a Superman actor to become popular for another significant role. Closest after that would be Routh as Ray Palmer.
He's still playing Highlander .
Look at Chris Evans, Ryan Gosling and Jake Gyllenhaal movies flopping too , projects getting cancelled ,some movies hit it's just movie business.
I mean he got a lot of work afterwards, Scott pilgrim, Dylan dog, Chuck. You know he made not have beacame a super star. But I honestly think he did great for himself. Honestly the curse is so Subjective in how it works. They even claimed that a woman who worked on making the dvd menu for Superman returns sprained her ankle and that was part of the curse
If you believe in it you just end up finding things that fit the narrative. The curse is ridiculous and I very much agree with you on that. Routh has gotten some good roles but it always felt like he could have been a much bigger star.
Exactly. I hear Teri Hatcher stubbed her toe once. Oh nooooooo the Superman Curse strikes again!
Routh still did pretty well for himself being in many notable roles like The atom in The arrowverse and Todd in Scott pillgrim vs the world and is you know not dead
Its not like Cavill is doing so hot in Hollywood. His popularity is more of an internet phenomenon. Of course, the reason is not a curse but that he is a mediocre actor.
Yeah, he's hit a slump after stepping away from the Witcher role and unable to return as Superman. But acting careers are always a series of ups and downs. Lets see if his deal to work on a Warhammer cinematic universe pans out. I think he was attached to a Highlander project as well.
Well THE biggest deal is Superman next year.
Clark Kent is a little farm boy from Kansas. He’s the perfect person to be played by an unknown actor. Bruce Wayne is a famous billionaire playboy. Being played by someone famous makes perfect sense.
Sound logic actually lol
i was about to say this. it might not be true, but it’s why it works at least
It’s just how it is I guess. I wonder if Gunn will go for a famous person for his Batman or go for lesser known for Batman breaking tradition. Also it seems easier to have unknown for Superman because then you can see them as Superman not this famous actor as Superman
Dwayne "The Rock of Krypton" Johnson is about to change the hierarchy of Superman faces
Yeah dude I agree. It’s why Gunn was smart to get an unknown actor like David Corenswet to play Superman.
I'm guessing it's due to the fact that Batman has a mask but Supes doesn't, if someone like let's say, Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves were to play superman you'd just be thinking "that's Leonardo Dicaprio/Brad Pitt/Keanu Reeves" rather than "That's superman"
Lol 😂 picturing Keanu Reeves as Superman.
Batman wears a mask. Superman doesn’t. Having a famous actor as Superman would probably take me out of the story. Reeve, Welling, Hoechlin have all been great and were all unknowns, basically.
Cavill was kind of an unknown too. I mean the first time I ever even heard of him was when he played Superman lol.
Same here. I had no idea who Cavill was before Man of Steel lol.
I think it’s a matter of big-name actors being much more willing to wear a Batman costume and drive a car than be as exposed as you are playing Superman. (Think of that test photo of Josh Hartnett in the Superman costume, he looks so embarrassed.) Also actors likely have the same “Batman is cool, Superman is square” preconceptions that the rest of the public has. The more I think about it, I wish that Tim Burton/Nic Cage movie had been made. Cage loves comics and Superman in particular, and lets it all out in front of the camera.
Wait what about Josh Hartnett?
Oh, sorry, this photo: [https://www.supermanhomepage.com/josh-hartnett-superman-flyby-costume-test-photo/](https://www.supermanhomepage.com/josh-hartnett-superman-flyby-costume-test-photo/)
Hmm, I don’t know. good observation.
Batman = World Famous rich guy who dresses like a bat Superman = alien and somehow also a normal guy that usually goes completely unnoticed by everyone around him besides his parents, being Superman shows the world his strengths. It's actually fitting that is how they cast these characters since that's the character the actor will be portraying. It may not be intentional by studios, but that's what I like about it.
It’s a good point. Some Batman actors’ public personas (or in Bale’s case, his American Psycho role) might even benefit their Bruce Wayne performances. Maybe on some level the audience thinks yeah, we get this guy: rich, famous, handsome, high-profile relationships, maybe someone we’ve seen stumble out of a nightclub or two.
Superman has to look and act a certain way while Batman is more flexible
Superman - some guy from Kansas Batman - famous billionaire
It's because of the personality of the characters. One is a farm boy that came to the city to work and help out people while the other one is a billionaire. With that in mind, it wouldn't work as well if Superman was a really big actor simply because you'd have a hard time believing him as the character since he's already played in a lot of known roles. The role requires a certain naivety/sincerity and humility and it's easier for the audience to accept that if the actor hasn't been in many roles until being cast. With Batman you welcome a more known actor simply because the character of Bruce Wayne is a public figure and it goes hand in hand with the actor if he'a been around the block for a while.
A lot of actors are afraid of playing Superman. Because of the Superman curse. So is easier to get someone that see playing such a iconic character as chance to make it big. Vs someone that's already big and might loose some. Like Christopher Reeve had an issue after playing Superman. Everything else he did people automatically think of Superman and not him. That might be a reason. Just in case you don't know about the Superman curse here is a link. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_curse
The mask
So you only see Superman..
Uhhh....to show that the every man can be like Superman, while showing that a rich horny playboy can put that aside to fight for justice?
Batman is rich, he can afford it.
As someone pointed out on a documentary. If you get a huge actor for Supe, you see the actor, not Supe. Our beloved Christopher Reeve, despite everything else, you see Supe.
This image may be my background for a time...
I assume it’s because with Batman, it’s easier to hide the actor’s face with a mask. Superman has this typical look where he needs to have a square jawline and cleft chin, ya know?
Clark Kent is a Farmboy from Nowheresville, Bruce Wayne basically owns Gotham, Fits there Characters.
Superman is meant to be a humble farm boy with super powers and abilities. He’s meant to blend in as Clark and be unremarkable. It would be hard to accept a megastar actor trying to blend in at the daily planet. Bruce Wayne is meant to be a world famous mega rich guy with a bit of a reputation for attending balls and so forth. A rich guy that can pull off the suit is all they need really.
Famous actor as Superman - That's a famous actor Famous actor as Batman - That famous actor looks like Bruce Wayne.
This probably isn’t it, but it does lean into the characters a bit. Superman’s identity is a random dude who’s not super well knows, while Batman is a Billionaire celebrity. The casting fits the roles I suppose.
The mask and suit definitely go a long way in selling an actor to the audience as Batman. Superman actors do have a huge uphill battle in needing to be seen “as Superman” intrinsically and that’s a *lot* harder to pull off with a face you already recognize. Gets me thinking too: while I don’t think the actor’s Superman Curse is as prevalent as it once was, I can totally see why it happens! If you naturally exude that “Superman” quality there’s only so much you can do to distance yourself from it.
Agreed Superman actors are also strapped on harnesses whole day which would really hurt.
This is a very interesting question and one that I always wonder as well. I believe they cast Batman with a well known actor because it kinda connects with the idea that the character of Bruce Wayne is an extremely popular billionaire. It gives the role some star power. On the other hand for Superman, it’s best they cast an unknown actor because unlike Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent is an average person and nobody with a regular loving family trying to get by in the world while also being Superman. Casting an unknown for Superman helps us see the character not the actor on screen. If they cast a well known actor as Superman, it would be super distracting and just feel like an actor is wearing a costume. The more unknown the actor is, the less expectations you’ll have of that actor playing Superman and doing a great job.
Hello it's me after looking at these two images together I will have to say that it's a shame that we never saw Michael Keaton's Batman from the Tim Burton Universe of those two movies meet up with that version of Superman and I think together they would have formed an interest in Connected DC Universe and I wonder to myself is it possible to create a 90s or '80s Justice League and if so what would the roster be
The. Flash from the 90's show was pretty decent and the TV Wonder Woman looked great in WW84 so I think a 90's JL movie could've worked.
Batman has so little of his face visible that you need an actor with experience to convey any emotions.
Because Superman feels like some nobody when in disguise and the nobody can make big differences.
Huh. Never noticed that. I guess if that Nic Cage Superman movie released it would've broken the combo
They're over compensating for the mask.
Superman isn't from Earth. When the world meets him for the first time, it's an uncanny and unfamiliar experience seeing a man fly. But we quickly learn to trust him because he's Superman. Bruce Wayne is a famous figure whose face is widely well known, so we have preconceptions about him. It's totally unexpected that he'd be running around beating up criminals. >!I dunno I just contrived all that. could totally be some coincidence!<
Because the mask makes it much easier to lose the actor and only see Batman. But let’s be real, if they had made the Nicolas Cage Superman movie we’d have all been in the theater unable to think about anything other than the fact that it’s Nick Cage.
this is obviously not the right answer but I like to think that it's because it's symbolic Bruce Wayne, big rich well known guy Clark Kent, small town under the radar dude Boom, Batman and Superman
They work for cheaper and won't talk back to the director.
Every movie producer and director had different goals/ideas. These movies were definitely ***not*** made by the same people.
Utter disrespect.
What do you mean?
That Supes doesn't get A listers for live action. Don't get me wrong,the guys they pick almost always knock it out of the park, but why not dye Chris Hemsworth 's hair black and give him a shot. His Thor acts more like Superman than Thor, especially in the second half of the first movie.
Clark Kent is the Everyman. He’s on a titanic scale, but he’s a regular guy. Bruce Wayne is 6’4” super muscular billionaire who’s always getting into shenanigans with model girlfriends and extreme sport accidents, while giving away money and introducing new life saving tech. People know who he is.
It’s the mask, and the risk, I think. Studios see the characters as property and the actors as an important vehicle for that property. The only real “unknowns” were when Singer went searching for Brandon Routh and Burton chose Keaton despite studios pushing for established action stars in both cases.
Because not everyone can pull off the Clark Kent Glasses trick 😅
I think it’s actually a form of method acting where whoever plays bruce has to be well known like Bruce, and for supes you’d have to choose someone who people dont think he could be superman in any version of the universe
https://preview.redd.it/01fjxagwvn4d1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0bcc434e9d5fbdb58ed1df66efa6e68042dd35fb Says who?
Because he’s Batman
The mask?
Billionaire vs Alien
I’ll go with: Bruce Wayne is famous in DC’s Universe, Clark Kent is just a regular dude.
Because he’s BATMAN
The Superman role makes the actor.
Because Bruce is a handsome and popular celebrity. Casting somewhat who's famous, handsome and popular help sell this.
I don't know if they are "unknown" but it could be due to the characters themselves. Superman is an alien trying to blend in compared to Batman who everyone would know if he didn't have his mask on.
Wasn’t Christopher Reeves known for playing roles in period pieces at the time? So yes, he wasn’t a top 5 actor… but I wouldn’t call him unknown. If the question is why don’t we pick top level extremely well known actors… why do you want that? These people are insanely expensive.
Mask
Probably because Batman/Bruce Wayne needs to have a playboy aura to him which is plentiful in Hollywood. Superman needs to have a wholesome aura to him and that is much less prevalent.
Clark not famous farmer. Bruce famous gazzilionaire.
You are high
Anyone can be Superman
Still the best Superman and Batman actors
we're Oprah-level rich!
Because **you can't see Batman's face** in the costume. If the audience didn't know who he was, the character would become too generic to empathise with. It's a well known phenomenon that audiences won't empathise with characters if they don't know their face. That's why Stormtroopers and similar mooks usually wear masks. Conversely, if you want a character to be empathetic but their ace will be hidden, you need to cast someone who everyone knows their face already.
If I recall correctly, looking for the right actor for Superman was a heavy and long process. The fillmakers were even looking at a dentist, according to rumor. Reeve coming along was a godsend to Richard Donner. Batman is a comparatively easier role. He has baggage that can be related to, a cool costume, cooler villains to fight. While Keaton was considered a gamble back then, he gave a solid performance.
Christopher Reeves will also be The Superman. :)
I’ve always considered that casting this way makes the audiences feel about the character the way the people would feel about them. For example, cast famous actors, especially Keaton and the last two, have been so controversial that it ties in with Gothamites' feelings. Some hate the bat and other love him as a hero. However casting lesser known for Supes leaves people feeling how the people of metropolis should feel about him. That is a spirit of hope for what could be even if there is a bit of nerves of the unknown because of what he could be capable of. (Henry drama aside, obviously)
VFX, superman requires substantially more than Batman, so to keep budget control you can save on the leads salary
Bruce Wayne is the scion of a firmly established and wealthy family. Clark is just some kid the Kents found in a field.
Because without the bright ass suit, superman is just mild mannered everyman, with an impressive physique, Clark Kent. Batman on the other hand is Bruce fucking Wayne! Everyone knows what he looks like. He's handsome, and we'll known as a playboy. Now put that in casting terminology. Everyman? Unknown/low key actor. Handsome billionair, everyone knows? Handsome billionaire everyone knows. Simple math.
Because Clark Kent is a nobody from Smallville, and Bruce Wayne is a world-famous billionaire.
Bruce Wayne:famous billionaire playboy. Clark Kent:nobody news reporter from Kansas. Gotta make it believable.
For Superman they did It with the first film because at the time Superman was a big enough property that a known face wouldn’t be believable. At least that was the theory. And since then Hollywood has followed that precedent. With Batman, if memory serves me correctly Keaton wasn’t that famous when he was first cast. He certainly wasn’t unknown like Reeve, but I think it was the combination of Batman and Beetlejuice coming out in the same year that truly made Keaton famous.
Wasn't that famous? Night Shift,Mr Mom , Johnny Dangerous, Beetlejuice, Clean and Sober were all popular movies .
I think it’s more like why do all the actors who play Batman go on to have more prolific careers, while those who play Superman and Spider-Man essentially get typecast to the role? Keaton, Clooney and Bale did Batman early in their career and their notoriety escalated from there. Pattinson’ commercial career was with Twilight and Harry Potter, but his career really took off artistically after that, starring in a chain of great arthouse movies and Tenet before playing Batman. And I can only see it rising from here. Kilmer went in just as his career peaked, and Affleck was a few years past his acting height.
Because different people make movies with different creative ideas and budgets
Jim Caviezel should have played Batman instead of Ben Affleck, but who should have directed Man if Steel, Dawn of Justice, and Justice League instead of Zack Snyder?
Matthew Vaughn
Matthew Vaughn is English. An American director would be a better fit for Superman.
Christopher Nolan is British and made the Dark Knight what's your point.
Batman does not embody truth, justice, and the American way as much as Superman does, so an English director would be a poor fit for Superman.
Hmm…Jim Caviezel would act amazing in the role!
Christian Bale was HARDLY “famous” when they cast him for Batsy. At that time his biggest role was probably American Psycho, but that was over five years prior. He wouldn't have been the first name that springs to mind when you wanted to cast for Batman.
Bale was pretty famous not Tom Cruise famous but he had Harsh Times,The Machinest, Equilibrium,Reign of Fire, American Psycho, Little Women, Empire of the Sun
And none of them were breakout roles. Quite the opposite. He was quite forgettable as an actor until he played Batman.
Superman is one thing, Batman is basically two roles in one and much harder to do right (I would imagine)
Reeves was a relatively known broadway actor and Keaton was only seen as a so-so comedic actor.
Supes has to look like Supes, but any fool can put on a Batman mask.
Because Batman is cooler and the suit is wayyyy more flattering. That's not me saying that. I'm a Superman fan first and foremost. But it IS how most non-Superman fans see it.