5 Comic Book Characters Who Were Poorly Recast

2) George Clooney As Batman (Batman & Robin)

Joel Schumacher and the Warner Bros.’ producers must have rubbed their hands together in glee when they first hired George Clooney for the role of Batman. After finding breakout success on TV’s ER, Clooney had just hit it big the year before in From Dusk Till Dawn. Taking on the role of the caped crusader, one of the most recognizable parts in the history of cinema, should have been the perfect next step for him, right? Hindsight is a wonderful thing…

Kilmer may have lacked the charisma to match Keaton’s iconic performances, but at least his portrayal of Batman was never outright embarrassing to watch. Clooney’s interpretation, on the other hand, was cringeworthy from start to finish, and although a huge part of the blame rests on the tacky… well, everything… Clooney must carry at least some of the blame on his weird rubber Batsuit shoulders. Playing the role for laughs three decades after Adam West had put his definitive mark on the character, Clooney embraced the homo-erotically camp tone of the film with open arms and zero irony.

He later admitted that his portrayal of Batman helped to kill the franchise, yet he still somehow managed to emerge unscathed from the whole debacle, moving onto the A-list soon after in films such as Out Of Sight, Three Kings and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Comic book fans were either far more forgiving before the internet age moved beyond dial-up, or perhaps we finally have evidence that actors actually sell their souls to get ahead in this world.