Pierce Brosnan Reveals He Lost ‘Batman’ Role to Michael Keaton After Making ‘Stupid’ Comment

Pierce Brosnan makes his DC Universe debut as Dr. Fate in Black Adam, although a different timeline might have seen him playing Bruce Wayne.  Brosnan described the time he auditioned for Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie, but a “stupid” comment caused him to lose out on the part. During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Irish actor revealed, “It was the last thing on my mind to be playing a superhero like Doctor Fate.” Fallon then asked the 69-year-old if he had ever turned down a superhero role because he was hesitant to play one at the time in his career. Brosnan’s TV series Remington Steel was hugely successful, and he also appeared in a few films, including Mrs. Doubtfire. He responded by saying that roles in superhero movies were rarely offered to him in his career. “No, not really no. I mean, I went up for ‘Batman’ way back in the day when Tim Burton was doing it. Obviously, I didn’t get the job.”

Brosnan added, “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, and you know Doctor Fate and I were meant to meet on the same page I think.” Michael Keaton won the role as Burton’s Batman, and the two made “Batman” and “Batman Returns” together. He reprised the role in two Warner Bros. films, Batgirl, which Warner Bros. will not release, and The Flash, which arrives in theaters on June 23, 2023.

Although Brosnan missed out on Batman, he was able to experience a successful franchise in James Bond. In 1995, Brosnan joined the 007 franchise with GoldenEye until 2002’s Die Another Day. During an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the Black Adam premiere in New York City, Brosnan revealed some tidbits about his character in the new DC film. He said of Dr. Fate, “The man [has] traversed the ages of time. He’s one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC comic book world. He did have a wife called Enza, and she was even more powerful than him I hear.” Black Adam, which also stars Dwayne Johnson, Viola Davis, Noah Centineo, and Aldis Hodge, releases in theaters on Oct. 21.