10 Actors Who Quit Major Film Roles
3. Michael Keaton (Batman Forever)
After Batman Returns debuted to positive reviews, Michael Keaton and Tim Burton were both keen on a third outing, but Warner Bros was none to impressed that the film raked in $150 million less than its predecessor.
Seeking a lighter, more lucrative approach for the second sequel, the studio strong-armed Burton out of the director's chair and replaced him with Joel Schumacher, and nobody needs reminding how that turned out for them.
Keaton remained attached to the movie that would become Batman Forever after Burton had been shown the door and was offered $15 million to reprise his role but. after reading the script, he didn't stick around for much longer.
The actor was unimpressed with the family-friendly tone the series was heading in, so he left to pursue other projects, paving the way for Val Kilmer to take up the cape and cowl for the one and only time.
The fans were equally unimpressed with the new direction when Batman Forever arrived in cinemas, but criminally, it made more money than Batman Returns.