The Films: The Batman (1983) & The Dark Knight Returns Just like Robin Williams, rock legend and sometimes excellent actor David Bowie was linked to two Batman villain roles, though both were The Joker in this case. In the first instance the ethereal icon was wanted for The Batman in 1985, when Ivan Reitman was attached (and Bill Murray was apparently the front-runner for Batman). Unfortunately, that film went through several rewrites before being binned altogether. Then later, in 1998, after Batman & Robin failed, Warner Bros played with the idea of letting Schumacher adapt The Dark Knight Returns with Michael Keaton or Clint Eastwood as the Dark Knight, and Bowie as the villain. As missed opportunities go, this ones a doozy.
