10 Actors Who Were Cruelly Shafted By Franchise Reboots
6. Billy Dee Williams - Batman
Technically the Joel Schumacher Batman films arent reboots of the Tim Burton ones, but they might as well be. Different actors are playing Batman, Gotham City traded in its gothic 1940s vibe for a futuristic and outlandish look, and the villains have gotten more wacky and flamboyant for whatever reason. Aside from Pat Hingle and Michael Gough reprising their roles as Commissioner Gordon and Alfred respectively, there are hardly any common elements connecting the latter two films with its predecessors. The best example of this: Harvey Dent. Billy Dee Williams played Gothams District Attorney in Tim Burtons first Batman film. Other than appearing several times with the mayor and other city officials, he didnt have much to do in the story. To the uninitiated, Williams role was nothing more than an extended cameo. To the Batman fans, however, they knew that Williams would one day portray the duality-obsessed super-villain Two-Face, and Williams hoped it would eventually happen. Alas, it was not to be. When Joel Schumacher took over directing duties, he decided to replace Williams with Tommy Lee Jones. One rumor thats been circulating for awhile it that Williams had a pay-or-play contract for Batman Forever, meaning hed still get paid even if he was replaced. However, Williams recently said this wasnt the case, stating he only got paid for the 89 Batman film. Regardless, in 1995 we witnessed Harvey Dents return, except he had inexplicably changed from a black guy to a white guy. Maybe one of Gothams mad scientists created a serum to change skin color? Jones Two-Face was criticized for being too goofy and Joker-like, which begs the question of what Williams Two-Face might have been like. If he had stayed on under Schumacher, he would have likely still had that wacky personality, but its worth thinking about. Maybe theres a parallel universe somewhere where Tim Burton stayed on for a third film and Williams played a Two-Face more similar to his comic counterpart, albeit with some gothic undertones? We can dare to dream.
Adam Holmes is a writer who loves a good story whether it's fact or fiction. When he's not day-dreaming about time travel, he's usually immersing himself in all things film, television and comic books. He hopes to one day break into the entertainment journalism industry. Yes, he is aware of his resemblance to Clark Kent and McLovin. Keep up on the latest geek news by following his articles at Unleash The Fanboy: http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/author/adam-holmes
