Already have an account?
Get back to the

Pierce Brosnan: I Was “Foolish” to Turn Down Tim Burton’s Batman

Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan called himself "foolish" for turning down the role of Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 movie.

Pierce Brosnan as Batman?! According to the beloved Bond hunk, that was almost the case. Brosnan, in a Reddit Ask Me Anything conducted Wednesday, Aug. 20, revealed the surprising news to a fan who asked: “You were a great Bond but I always thought you’d make for a great Batman. Were you ever approached for that role?”

Related: PHOTOS: Stars as super heroes

“Yes, I did,” the November Man star, 61, said. “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.”

Instead, the heroic caped crusader role went to Michael Keaton, who faced off against Jack Nicholson as the Joker in Burton’s 1989 film and its 1992 sequel Batman Returns. His most epic line from the first installment? “I’m not going to kill you. I want you to do me a favor. I want you to tell all your friends about me.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs and their stunt doubles!

Brosnan admitted that he looks back with some regret. “That was my foolish take on it. It was a joke, I thought,” he said in his AMA. “But how wrong was I? 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 …”

Related: PHOTOS: Best and worst movie remakes

michael keaton batman

Other famous movie stars to tackle the complex Gotham city vigilante character include Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Christian Bale, and, in the 2015 movie, Batman vs. Superman, Ben Affleck.

Related: PHOTOS: Pierce and more celebs pay tribute to Robin Williams

Despite being accustomed to playing heroes in movies, Brosnan told DuJour recently that by his own assessment, he’s actually a huge wimp in real life. “I just wish I was as cool as they are,” Brosnan said of his action-movie characters. “If I got into a fight in a bar, I’d miss the dude by miles… I wouldn’t know how to connect. It would be a comedy.”

In this article

Got a Tip form close button
Got a tip for US?
We're All Ears for Celebrity Buzz!