DC’s Batman is one of the most fan-favorite superhero characters to ever exist. From its debut in May 1939 in comics to now, the character’s popularity has only grown and so has the mythos. Now having multiple comics, TV shows, spin-offs, variants, movies, and franchises, numerous actors have had the privilege of portraying the character on the big screen.
While many actors have been praised, some saw the worst side of DC fans who did not want them to play Batman. While in recent times, Ben Affleck is the one who got the worst fan reactions, he is not alone as Michael Keaton’s Batman casting led to Warner Bros. getting some 50,000 fan mails about why he was the worst choice.
Also Read: Michael Keaton Refused To Let Christian Bale Take Credit For the One Thing That Binds Them Together
DC Fans Sent 50K Hate Mails To WB To Stop Michael Keaton From Being Batman
When Michael Keaton was first cast as Batman, it wasn’t the age of the internet where fans could express their hate or love or opinions online, rather it was the age of fan mail or hate mail. So when Keaton was cast as the caped crusader and the news hit the world, the hate was so intense that fans sent over 50,000 letters detailing why he was the worst actor Warner Bros. could have hired.
Bill Zehme, around that time, had done a big special piece in Rolling Stone #555. In the piece, producer Jon Peters was quoted as saying,
“A huge contingent rose up against this picture being made with Michael Keaton. Fifty thousand letters of protest arrived at Warner Bros. A lot of people in the company lobbied against it. One of the most powerful men in Hollywood went as far as to call [Warners chairman] Steve Ross and tell him casting Michael was such a horrible idea it would bring Warners to its knees. That the entire studio would crash and burn as a result. Heaven’s Gate revisited.”
Well, despite the 50k hate mail, Peters was sure the movie would end up making Keaton a folk hero, which ironically it did.
Reasons Why Fans Initially Disliked Michael Keaton’s Batman Casting
When it was revealed that DC’s latest flop The Flash would be starring Michael Keaton’s Batman as well, fans were quick to declare that it was enough reason to watch the movie after vehemently opposing it at first. As is evident this seems pretty ironic for the actor was at first brutally grilled and criticized for bagging the role of Batman.
In the piece published by Rolling Stone back in the day, the common characteristics of those 50k hate mails were that,
“Keaton has no chin, not enough hair; he’s too scrawny, too doughy, too short, too glib, too distracting.”
Everything from his height to physicality to his voice was the topic of public scrutiny, who wasted no time to change their opinions once Keaton’s 1989 Batman made it to the big screens.
Batman (1989) can be rented on YouTube.
