In 1989 the darkly gothic director Tim Burton decided to try his hand at resurrecting the classic DC Comic superhero ‘Batman’ for the big screen and a more modern audience. The campiness had disappeared and Gotham’s caped crusader had got darker and broodier whilst his enemies had grown all the more sinister. Of course more recently we were treated to British director Christopher Nolan’s epic ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy which further evolved the darker tones and added realism of the Batman stories even further. But it was Burton’s original that really helped push the envelope with some stand out directing and memorable performances. But now 26 years on where are the cast now?
MICHAEL KEATON
The evolution of Batman has always been a fascinating one and it’s always interesting to see exactly how an actor will interpret the role once he slips on the black cowl. Quirky actor Michael Keaton returned to his ‘Batman’ duties in Burton’s sequel ‘Batman Returns’ in 1992, however in more recent times it had been difficult for him to find many significant high profile roles for that fit his unique acting style. Thankfully though in 2014 he landed the lead role in director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s ‘Birdman’ project which earned him a Best Actor Oscar nod and will no doubt once more open doors for the now 64-year old actor.
JACK NICHOLSON
Jack was 52 years old when he donned the make-up to become Batman’s iconic nemesis Joker and he really made the character his own. The acting legend has hardly notched up the roles over the past 26 years and hasn’t been seen up on the big screen at all since 2010 with no immediate projects lined up. Still, he’s a triple Oscar winner and all round Hollywood icon. He was last seen on the small screen earlier this year as a special presenter at the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.
KIM BASINGER
The role of Bruce Wayne’s love interest Vicki Vale in the 1989 Batman feature was given to the 36-year old Kim Basinger. Since the movie was released Basinger went on to give a handful of rather lacklustre roles until she earned herself the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in Curtis Hanson’s neo-noir crime thriller ‘L.A. Confidential’. These days the work seems scarce but next year will be seeing her team up once more with actor Russell Crowe in Shane Black’s ‘The Nice Guys’.
