Robin Williams was a connoisseur of the comedy genre. Even though it has been almost a decade since he passed away, we cannot help but spare a laugh or two when he pops up on our screens. The late comedy king, unfortunately, never got to bring a comic book character to life, and given his talents and demeanor, this was one hell of a missed opportunity. His take on this characters would have been a treat to watch!
However, there were a few times when Robin Williams came this close to becoming a part of the superhero universe. From Tim Burton’s Batman to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy, he kept his hopes of playing a villain up, alas, to no avail. To top it all off, when Jim Carrey, another comedy master, was chosen to play the Riddler over Robin Williams, rumors stated that the latter wasn’t too happy about it.
Robin Williams’ Unfruitful Batman Journey
Although the Batman franchise has seen unimaginable heights, we cannot help but wonder what it would’ve been like if Robin Williams was a part of it. For starters, Williams was supposed to play the role of the iconic villain, Joker, in Tim Burton’s Batman. Of course, the role ultimately went to Jack Nicholson. Williams was clearly not happy about this as he stated in an interview,
“It happens. Sometimes they use you as bait. They’ll say, ‘Were sending it out to him,’ and you go for it. And then they give it to somebody else.”
Moving on, while the Jumanji actor was tapped in to play the Riddler in Batman Forever, the role went to Jim Carrey. In fact, the film’s screenwriter confirmed that the role was written with Williams in mind. Rumors circulated that Williams was unhappy with the switch and that the two comedians were in a feud. But Carrey was quick to shut down the rumors.
Williams never gave up on his Batman dream though. He kept his hopes alive and in an interview with Empire, he sent a message to Christopher Nolan stating that he would love to play the Riddler in his next film.
“I would work with Chris again in a second, playing anyone in anything. I’d play the Riddler in the next Batman, although it’d be hard to top Heath as the villain, and I’m a little hairy for tights. I’m using this article as an ad. Chris, call me, I’ll do anything. I could be a great character — or some weird little man in the background in Arkham Asylum.”
William really wanted to be a part of the comic book universe, especially the Batman franchise. Unfortunately, the stars didn’t align in his favor and he had to say goodbye to the world before his dream came true.
Robin Williams Was A Comic Book Geek
Dave Itzkoff wrote a biography of Williams titled, Robin. However, unlike others, Itzkoff showed a different side of the late comedian, a side that loved geeking out about comic books. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Itzkoff recalled how Williams promised to take him to the Forbidden Planet. While the writer thought it was another empty promise from a celebrity, Williams came through.
Itzkoff realized Williams’ enthusiasm for comic books stating,
“He was like a kid in a candy store. He’s like walking around, looking at all the statuettes and he’s like, ‘I got that one at home, got that one, don’t have the one yet.”
There’s just something comforting about knowing that the celebrities we look up to are in some way, just like us. While Williams’ contribution to cinema will never be forgotten, we’ll always wonder what it would’ve been like to see him play a comic book villain.
You can stream The Dark Knight trilogy on Max.
Source: Empire (via Yahoo)
