When the success of Pee-wees Big Adventure and Beetlejuice landed Tim Burton the improbable role of the director responsible for bringing Batman back to the big screen, the shock-haired young filmmaker cast a wide net for the lead role. Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin, Pierce Brosnan and Mel Gibson were all apparently in the running before Burton elected to go with Michael Keaton and prompt 50,000 letters of complaint (50,000 apologies were never received). One man who wasnt considered was Adam West, the inimitable star of the 1960s TV show and Batman: The Movie, and he was reportedly somewhat disgruntled at being overlooked, despite being almost sixty at the time of casting. No matter Adam Wests brilliantly goofy portrayal of Batman may have typecast him in such a way as to put more serious roles out of reach, but it earned him a lifetime of good will and a lucrative voice work career. West eventually embraced his place in Batman folklore, so much so that, as revealed on US game show Ive Got a Secret, he had a dental technician stain the Bat-Symbol on one of his molars. And you thought after Family Guy you couldnt like him more.
I watch movies and I watch sport. I also watch movies about sport, and if there were a sport about movies I'd watch that too. The internet was the closest thing I could find.
