Details

Release year: 1989

Storyline

The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.

Top credits

Directors

Tim Burton

Writers

Cast

Michael Keaton — Batman, Bruce Wayne
Jack Nicholson — Joker, Jack Napier
Kim Basinger — Vicki Vale
Robert Wuhl — Alexander Knox

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Awards

1 win & 0 nominations

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Did you know

• Michelle Pfeiffer, who was dating Michael Keaton at that time, was asked to audition for Vicki Vale, but Keaton was against it, saying it would be awkward. Pfeiffer would later be cast alongside Keaton as Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Batman Returns (1992), after their relationship had ended.

• Robin Williams was offered the role of Joker when Jack Nicholson hesitated. He had even accepted the role, when producers approached Nicholson again and told him Williams would take the part if he did not. Nicholson took the role, and Williams was released. Williams resented being used as bait, and not only refused to play Riddler in Batman Forever (1995) but also refused to be involved in any Warner Bros. productions until the studio apologized. His next project with the studio would be Fathers' Day (1997).

• Michael Keaton, who calls himself a "logic freak", was concerned that Batman's secret identity would, in reality, be fairly easy to uncover, and discussed ideas with Tim Burton to better disguise the character, including the use of contact lenses. Ultimately, Keaton decided to perform Batman's voice at a lower register than when he was portraying Bruce Wayne. This technique became a staple of future portrayals of Batman in film, television, and video games, especially those of Kevin Conroy and Christian Bale.