10 Riskiest Superhero Movie Castings Which Paid Off

By and large Michael Keaton is considered the greatest Batman, often appearing at the number one spot in a lot of surveys of the best Batman actors. Part of the reason may be due to his ability to convincingly play the reclusive and mysterious Bruce Wayne while also successfully playing Batman as a menacing threat.

His initial casting in the title role of Tim Burton's Batman was met with less than enthusiastic responses to put it gently.

When announced to the world as the Caped Srusader 50,000 letters of protest were sent to the offices of Warner Bros, and even Batman co-creator Bob Kane remained sceptical about Burton's casting. Considering Keaton was known purely as a comedic actor (Beetlejuice being his breakthrough hit) this backlash does seem somewhat justified, but perhaps handled poorly by sour fans.

Keaton's powerful legacy in just two films has overshadowed this controversy, and the recent confirmation that he will return to the role of Batman has been met with enthusiasm from all.