Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Pierce Brosnan reveals the ‘stupid’ comment that cost him Batman role over Michael Keaton

‘The best man got the job,’ Brosnan said

Tom Murray
Thursday 13 October 2022 05:59 EDT
Comments
Pierce Brosnan reveals Robin Williams ad-libbed Mrs Doubtfire line

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Pierce Brosnan could have added another iconic role to his repertoire – if it weren’t for a “stupid” comment he made.

The former James Bond actor appeared on The Tonight Show on Tuesday (11 October) where he revealed that he auditioned for Tim Burton’s Batman(1989).

“I went up for Batman way back in the day when Tim Burton was doing it. Obviously, I didn’t get the job,” Brosnan told host Jimmy Fallon.

He continued: “I remember saying something stupid to Tim Burton, I said, ‘You know I can’t understand any man who would wear his underpants outside his trousers.’ But there you go… the best man got the job.”

The role, of course, went to Michael Keaton who also starred in the 1992 sequel, Batman Returns.

Brosnan and Fallon were on the topic of superheroes as the former 007 will soon appear as Dr Fate in the upcoming DC Comics superhero movie Black Adam starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the eponymous lead.

Dr Fate – AKA Kent Nelson – is a powerful sorcerer who is gifted with “raw charisma”, the film’s director Jaume Collet-Serra recently told Vanity Fair.

“You need a special actor to play, basically, a legend,” she said.

“Dr. Fate is a very powerful being, so you need someone like Pierce who can play powerful without it being overly done. He can do it in a very subtle way. I mean, he’s one of the coolest people in the world – he was James Bond! But as a person, he’s magnetic, so warm with such gravitas.”

Black Adam is out in cinemas 21 October.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in