Every Movie Role Tom Hanks Turned Down!

3. Batman Forever - Batman/Bruce Wayne

Tom Hanks Batman
Warner Bros.

Well, this would've been something, wouldn't it?

In the wake of Michael Keaton's decision to step down as the Caped Crusader following two successful outings under Tim Burton, Warner Bros. were tasked with filling some rather large Bat-boots before Batman Forever was made a reality.

As you'd expect, every major leading man of the 90s was pretty much shortlisted for the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Kurt Russell, Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson and Keanu Reeves being just a few of the stars considered for the Dark Knight. Among this star-studded shortlist was none other than Tom Hanks, who was definitely seen as hot property coming off his second Oscar win.

Yet, Hanks clearly decided this wasn't the right move for him at the time and actually hasn't felt the need to dip his toe into the superhero genre at any point in his storied career... yet.

Judging by how Batman Forever was received by fans and critics alike, Hanks definitely made the right call to dodge this Batarang. But it's surely only a matter of time before this megastar makes his super-debut, right?

Contributor
Contributor

Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...