100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
#38. Batman
Medium
Live-Action Feature Film
Release Dates
June 19, 1989 (Westwood, California)
June 23, 1989 (United States)
Credits
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Sam Hamm, Waren Skaaren
Cast: Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Jack Nicholson as Jack Napier / The Joker, Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, Robert Wuhl as Alexander Knox, Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent, Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Jack Palance as Carl Grissom, Jerry Hall as Alicia Hunt, Tracey Walter as Bob the Goon, Lee Wallace as Mayor Borg, William Hootkins as Lt. Max Eckhardt, Hugo E. Blick as Young Jack Napier, Charles Roskilly as Young Bruce Wayne, David Baxt as Thomas Wayne, Sharon Holm as Martha Wayne, Garrick Hagon as Tourist Dad, Liza Ross as Tourist Mom, Adrian Meyers as Tourist Son
The Reason It’s Great
Batman, as a character, has always been dark. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Caped Crusader became lighter fare. In the comics, Frank Miller ushered in a grimmer era with The Dark Knight Returns which was embraced by fans. On the silver screen, director Tim Burton introduced his Dark Knight in Batman.
Burton promised a vision which aligned with the hero’s more serious nature. However, when Michael Keaton was cast, fans were in an uproar. How can a guy who was known for comedy pull off one of the most iconic characters in comic book history?
The answer to that question was soon shown in a trailer. Fans quickly changed their attitudes and lauded Keaton and the look-and-feel of the film. It was so impressive that people actually purchased tickets to another film just to view the trailer. That’s right, boys and girls, back then, we didn’t have YouTube.
When Batman was finally released in the summer of 1989, it garnered fan and critical acclaim. Batman was reborn. To show the affect that Burton’s vision had on the franchise, 2016 was the first time fans saw a live-action feature film Dark Knight not in all black.