10. Bill Murray As Batman
Why, Murray is God, there’s no call for this slander, you’re probably shouting at this point, while furiously writing out a comment that draws reference to the fact that Michael Keaton was ostensibly a comedy actor when he was cast as the Caped Crusader by Tim Burton.
But that’s like suggesting that Chevy Chase would also have been a viable option – just because one actor is able to wade through both serious and comic waters at the same time, doesn’t mean all can. Murray is entirely different comic actor to the man eventually cast by Burton, and he would have brought too much sarcastic goofball to the Bat-table, while offering possibly the least convincing Bruce Wayne ever conceived. Yes, his Batman was to be more Adam West than Christian Bale, but it still wouldn’t have worked.
He might he exceptionally talented, and his later roles may have suggested an eloquence and elegance that was far less visible in his early work, but the Murray potentially cast in Batman wasn’t at that stage, and the likely result would have been a comic disaster.
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14 Comments
how about the rumor that guy pearce was supposed to be ras al ghul in batman begins?? good actor but that wouldve been a horrible choice for ducard/ ras
The only one of those that I think COULD have worked is actually Madonna as Harley. And that’s simply because Harley’s personality is so damn weird, that a cookie individual who happens to be a terrible actress might be the only kind of individual to pull it off. Even if they did so by accident.
I actually think Krasinski would have been an awesome Captain America and remember hoping I wanted him when rumors about the casting started.
Think about it: seeing Krasinski from The Office and Pratt from Parks and Recreation would have been pretty cool.
First rule of film making: Do not cast Nicholas Cage
This list is bizarre by the way :)
Willem Dafoe would be the perfect Batman if they made the Dark Knight Returns. Or maybe even Batman Beyond.
I would have loved to see Brittany Murphy cast as Harley Quin. I believe she could have pulled off the sexy/crazy aspect and the east coast accent. Ironically, she died the same death as Heath Ledger. Both were taken away too early.
Nick Cage could have been a decent scarecrow but you’re right, you would have needed a cattle prod to keep him under control.
Can there ever be another on screen Superman since Christopher Reeve filled the role? I know they’ve tried but no one has nailed it like he did. Another tragic loss for movie fans.
Maybe we should investigate the link between playing superheroes and meeting an untimely death???
Aside from Reeve, Reeves and even Robert Lowery, I can’t think of any heroes who have met an untimely death.
There is no link between caped crusaders and untimely deaths.
i think if tom cruise had been cast he would have made a predictable success of the role – but i doubt there would be an avengers / iron man franchise and Downey jnr’s creation which is a revelation. However Tom Cruise is a very good technical actor and he knows just how to get the audience on his side – just look at the latest mission impossible – despite what you think of cruise’s ‘real’ life – you like him in that role. In fact if Cruise had taken the role, Robert Downey jnr would’ve ended up ….. in this article.
neil diamond as superman ? neil diamond as binyamin netanyahu ( as per your picture ) more like. time for a biopic
I cant believe you left out JACK BLACK as Green Lantern. He would have totally ruined the character. Sure the movie didnt do so well, but you gotta admit Ryan Reynolds did justice to Hal Jordan.
Cage as Scarecrow would’ve been awesome! His acting is like he’s inhaled a whole ton of Scarecrow’s toxin anyway.
Bill Murray as Batman would have made the world a funnier place. I don’t care how bad of a movie that would have been, I would watch it over and over, and then once more.
Nick Cage was also almost the Green Goblin in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man movie.
What’s missing from this list is Will Smith as Neo in “The Matrix.” He was the first choice for Neo, but he turned it down in favor of “Wild Wild West.”
It would be interested to see Keanu Reeve’s “whoa” replaced with “Oh hell no!”