The movie celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
It’s been revealed that Tim Burton’s Batman film almost ended up going in a different direction had it not been for actor Michael Keaton blocking a casting decision.
In the 1989 movie, Keaton starred as the caped crusader alongside Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. Prince famously recorded the soundtrack.
To celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary, Kim Basinger, producer Michael Uslan and actor Robert Wuhl, who played Alexander Knox in the film, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss the making the movie. During the conversation, it was revealed that the casting of Vicki Vale wasn’t an easy task.
Blade Runner‘s Sean Young was originally set to play Vale, but she was later forced to step down from the role after a horse riding accident, so producer Jon Peters made it clear that he wanted Michelle Pfeiffer to take on the role instead. However, this caused a problem for Keaton, who blocked the idea of casting Pfeiffer because the pair had previously dated.
“To put a little fly in the ointment, Michael Keaton and Michelle Pfeiffer had previously dated and broken up,” Wuhl explained. “At the time, Michael told me he was trying to get back with his ex-wife. Keaton was firmly, and underline firmly, against that casting of Pfeiffer and he and Peters got into it.”
Eventually, the role went to Basinger, who remembered being called upon very quickly to fill the role. “I remember just getting a call saying, ‘How quickly can you get over here?’” she said. “I think I was in a parking garage or something and I remember thinking, ‘Wow… London… Batman’. I didn’t really know what I was getting into; I certainly couldn’t comprehend the scope of it.”
Later on, Pfeiffer ended up starring alongside Keaton’s Batman, playing Catwoman in the 1992 sequel Batman Returns.
Todd Phillips revealed the news this weekend on Instagram while sharing a haunting new photo of Joaquin Phoenix in the titular role.
