Whether it was as Bruce Wayne or the Dark Knight himself, Michael Keaton owned the cape and cowl in Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. Even today, decades later, fans still argue in dimly lit forums about who the best Batman is. Sure, Affleck looked like he could bench press a bus, but let’s be completely honest—he was no Michael Keaton. But now, a recent interview has fans wondering if Alec Baldwin could have done a better job as Batman instead of Keaton.
What many don’t realise is that Keaton almost didn’t get the gig. Warner Bros. was basically playing a game of Batman Tinder, swiping right on names like Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck, Bill Murray, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Quaid before director Tim Burton swiped left on everyone and doubled down on Keaton as Batman. But guess who else wanted the role? Beetlejuice actor Alec Baldwin. And considering that he was friends with Burton at the time, you’d think he would’ve gotten a shot. But no.
On the One Bad Movie Podcast—hosted by his brother, Stephen Baldwin—Alec dropped a bombshell. He was very interested in donning the cape and cowl:
“I always thought about that. I thought, ‘Oh, I’d love to have played Batman.’”
Unfortunately, Baldwin never got the call from Burton. Why? According to the actor, the Edward Scissorhands director wasn’t looking for your classic square-jawed action hero. He was casting a Bruce Wayne, not just a guy who looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ with a grappling hook.
“Back then… he said, ‘I wasn’t casting Batman, the guy, the square jaw, the suit, whatever.’ He goes, ‘I was casting Bruce Wayne and I wanted to get a guy who… seemed like he was—you could understand him being more troubled.’ He goes something like, ‘I don’t believe that Alec has any problems at all.’”
That stung. Baldwin admitted he thought he could’ve done justice to the role.
“I looked at her and I was like, well, I could play that. I could do that. I don’t have to be—I could have problems. I could externalize my problems.”
And while he never got to punch Joker or brood on a rooftop, Baldwin had no hard feelings. In fact, he had praise for Keaton and others who’ve stepped into the Batsuits—even if he believes the role hasn’t exactly been a golden ticket since.
“Keaton played it. And everybody since—Val Kilmer, Clooney, Ben—it hasn’t done anything for them other than giving them a paycheck.”
It’s a fascinating what-if: Alec Baldwin as Batman. Could he have pulled off the duality of billionaire playboy and tormented vigilante? We’ll never know. But hey, he did play The Shadow (and he nearly got to play Bruce Wayne’s dad, Thomas Wayne, in Joker), so I’d say he got pretty close.
Oh, and by the way, in case you were wondering, Baldwin prefers the first Beetlejuice he starred in versus the sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
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