Before director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton revolutionized the mythos of the Dark Knight in Batman, another project had been in the works that would have placed actors and comedians Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy front and center in the world of the Caped Crusader.
In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Murray discussed the Batman film, which would have been headed by director Ivan Reitman. "I talked to Eddie Murphy about it, and Eddie wanted to play Batman... That's as far as that conversation went," the actor explained.
When asked if he would have taken on the role of Robin, had Murphy been Batman, Murray stated, "I don't wanna be the Boy Wonder to anybody... Maybe much earlier when I was a boy. But it was too late for that by the '80s. Also, I couldn't do the outfit. Eddie looks good in purple, and I look good in purple. In red and green, I look like one of Santa's elves. There was just a lot of vanity involved in the production. It wasn't gonna happen."
However, executive producer Michael Uslan, who wanted to introduce a darker version of Batman to the screen in response to the iconic Adam West television series from the '60s, explained that his version of the Batman film would have excluded Robin completely. Uslan also revealed that discussions about Murphy and Murray were intentionally kept from him because of his vision for the film.
It is common knowledge that studio execs at the time all but shunned comic book characters and films and refused to take them seriously. That changed with Burton's 1989 hit, Batman, which was followed by a franchise spanning the '90s, and, in turn, paved the way for modern day superhero films such as those of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The most recent iteration of the Caped Crusader presents audiences with one of the darkest depictions of the superhero. Matt Reeves' The Batman stars Robert Pattinson in the title role and explores Bruce Wayne in the second year of his vigilante career. Several spinoffs are already in the works and reports suggest a trilogy may be in development as well, including a series focused on The Penguin, set to air on HBO Max, and one centered on the Gotham City Police Department and Arkham.
The Batman is now in theaters.
Source: Yahoo Entertainment