As the 1980s wrapped up and the '90s began, DC Comics' Batman was quite the hot commodity. Moviegoers were blown away by director Tim Burton's "Batman" and its sequel, "Batman Returns," which told Warner Bros. that they had a cash cow franchise on their hands. Naturally, this led to the creation of "Batman Forever," though this production saw Burton replaced by the late Joel Schumacher in the director's chair. As a result, the actor behind the Dark Knight, Michael Keaton, departed as well, meaning Warner Bros. had to find someone new to fill the cowl.
Val Kilmer eventually signed the dotted line to carry on Keaton's legacy, but he wasn't the only actor in consideration. In an interview with Details (via Comic Book Movie), Ethan Hawke revealed he had the chance to be the next Batman in "Batman Forever." Ultimately, he turned it down since he had no desire to be recognized as the Caped Crusader for the rest of his life. Per his own admittance, he has come around on the idea to some degree, at least in terms of what it could've done for his career. "Now I wish I'd done it because I could have used it to do other things."
Say what you will about "Batman Forever," but it's hard to deny that Val Kilmer at least put in the best performance he could as the titular hero. It's interesting to wonder how Ethan Hawke would have handled the campy material had he taken the job.
