5. Michael Keaton - Batman
Craig and Cruise took the title of
Most Criticised Casting in the 00s and the 90s but who took the award in the 80s? Why it was none other than Michael Keaton when he agreed to don the cape in Tim Burtons Batman. It was the same old schtick that Craig endured for Bond:
hes not tall enough, hes not cool enough, hes not good looking enough and yet hes fondly remembered as the best Batman of them all. But back in 1989, Keaton and his receding hairline wasnt A-list, he wasnt in big blockbusters and he wasnt a heart throb. He was a solid actor but nothing special and deemed rather an odd choice for the role of the Caped Crusader. In fact, by April 1989 the only thing more talked about than Keatons unsuitability for the role was who really shot JFK (and even Lee Harvey Oswald was seen as a better fit for Batman). But Keaton had something the detractors didnt count on: acting chops. And something else: charisma. He owned the role so much that you didnt laugh when he, and his receding hairline, had Kim Basinger eager to open her legs. He was the rich-beyond-belief Bruce Wayne and he was the pointy-eared vigilante. And it was all perfectly believable. But not as believable as the films attempts to portray him as a 6 footer.
That was just too much of a stretch!