Actor Robert Wuhl, who played reporter Alexander Knox in the Tim Burton-directed film, makes the revelation about producers Jon Peters and Peter Gruber's original plan during a podcast interview.
- March 31, 2021
AceShowbiz - Steve Martin and Chevy Chase came close to playing Batman in the 1989 comic book blockbuster before producers agreed to give Tim Burton the chance to direct.
Actor Robert Wuhl, who was an early cast member, reveals Burton took the movie in another direction and brought Michael Keaton on board, but when he signed on, producers Jon Peters and Peter Gruber were looking at funnymen to play the Caped Crusader.
"When I asked who they were thinking of, they said, 'Either Steve Martin or Chevy Chase,' " Wuhl, who was cast as reporter Alexander Knox in the film, told "The Production Meeting" podcast.
"You've got to remember that the greatest decision in the history of Warner Bros. is giving Tim Burton the Batman franchise. You know when Joel Schumacher took over and they went in that crazy direction? That's where they were thinking to begin with."
"They were not thinking Tim Burton - they were thinking Adam West, that was their Batman. Bill Murray might've also been on that list."
Meanwhile, Wuhl reveals he came close to returning as Knox in Burton and Keaton's second "Batman" movie.
"In the original script..., which was terrific, Knox died [in Batman]," the actor explained. "Then, when I got there [London set], they told me, 'We're keeping him alive.' I thought, 'Great, Batman 2!' Then my agent got a call one day and they said, 'Knox is not in the second picture.' And that's it; it was that simple."
Since its release in June 1989, Tim Burton's "Batman" has earned more than $411 millions worldwide. Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger and Pat Hingle are among its cast ensemble.
