10 Actors Almost Cast As Batman (Who Would Have Sucked Way More Than Affleck)

3. William Baldwin

Hot on the heels of successes with Flatliners and Backdraft, the second best Baldwin brother was reportedly considered for the twin-lead role for Batman Forever before it went to Val Kilmer.

You can see why he might have been considered, given how almost every single Batman actor has basically copied an extreme version of Baldwin's raspy voice (to different degrees,) but two good film performances and a suitable voice do not a Batman make, and the casting directors ultimately made the better decision to go in a different direction.

As a side note, the quality of his voice did get the inevitable, and wholly justified acknowledgement when he voiced Batman for Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths in 2010.

Why It Would Have Sucked

He's the wrong Baldwin, for a start. Brother Alec, who was also linked with the role at one stage, would have made a great dark superhero, thanks to that brooding charisma that makes him so effortlessly watchable; there's a mischievous twinkle in those eyes that would have worked remarkably well behind the cowl, as well as for Wayne. But William was the squarest of pegs for a very round hole, when he was considered for Batman Forever, even if he had shown some form with Backdraft and Flatliners.

Quickly after those films, Billy reverted back to his natural state, making B-movies with straight-to-DVD credentials like Virus or A Pyromaniac's Love Story, and he's been there ever since, still making films that very few people will ever get the chance to see, and never really bothering the big role casting directors, just as it should be.

And while it's very obvious that actors have to eat, to some extent you have to judge any actor or director by the jobs they say yes to.