The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 has influenced many Hollywood stories, including the X-Men franchise. X-Men: First Class (2011) specifically follows the meeting between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr during this tricky period.
As far as fans of the CBM genre are concerned, the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union also indirectly led Michael Caine playing a prominent role in DC Studios’ Batman franchise.
How the Cuban Missile Crisis Led to Michael Caine Featuring in Batman Movies
Michael Caine is one of the most respected actors in the entertainment industry, having impressed fans and critics alike with his acting prowess for nearly 70 years.
The Englishman, 90, has been part of many celebrated films and has worked with gifted filmmakers of different generations. In particular, his frequent collaborations with Christopher Nolan have always been a subject of great interest for moviegoers. He is part of all three Nolan-helmed Batman movies, playing the role of Alfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s trusted ally.
However, had it not been for the Cuban Missile Crisis, Batman fans would’ve never got to see his brilliant chemistry with Christian Bale in The Dark Knight Trilogy.
During an interview with Belfast Telegraph, Caine revealed he always wanted to become an actor but due to his humble background, he never thought he’d become a star. However, the social change triggered by the Cuban Missile Crisis gave a new life to his acting ambitions. He recalled:
“Khrushchev said, ‘We’ve got the atom bomb, if we want to drop it, you’ve got four minutes to live, all of you, in England. In London’. And so, in our mental state, that’s how the 1960s began – we might as well have a good time then, we’ve only got four minutes… we never thought of any revolution. We just said, ‘We’re not going to take any notice of anybody anymore. We are not going to call anyone sir’. I’d grown up watching the working class succumbing to everything and being held down. And I thought, ‘You’re not going to hold me down, I’m going to be an actor’.”
Accordingly, The Man Who Would Be King actor chased his dreams and eventually starred in Zulu (1964), the movie that earned him plenty of money and opened doors for several roles.
Read more: “It was marvelous!”: Michael Caine’s Jaws 4 Role Had the Actor Living in Denial His Whole Life
What Michael Caine Thought About the Batman Begins Script
His first collaboration with Nolan came in the 2005 hit Batman Begins. Before the production kicked off, Caine had no idea about the theme of the movie.
It’s understood (via IMDb) that none of the big-name cast members were initially told they were going to be part of a Batman movie. The script they were sent was titled “The Intimidation Game.”
Caine revealed that when he first got his hands on the script and saw the title, he thought the script was some kind of gangster movie.
Regardless, the trust the pair built after their first movie paved the way for him to appear in seven more Nolan movies. In fact, until last year’s Oppenheimer, Caine appeared in every movie directed by the Tenet director since their first meeting.
