Pierce Brosnan Was 'Wrong' To Turn Down Tim Burton's 'Batman'

Why Pierce Brosnan Turned Down Tim Burton's 'Batman'
Pierce Brosnan seen at The World Premiere of "The November Man"on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Relativity Studios/AP Images)
Pierce Brosnan seen at The World Premiere of "The November Man"on Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Relativity Studios/AP Images)

Before he was Bond, Pierce Brosnan was almost Batman -- but he couldn't take the superhero seriously.

The actor revealed during a Reddit AMA on Wednesday that he was "wrong" to turn down the starring role in the 1989 Tim Burton movie that ignited the film franchise. Michael Keaton donned the Batsuit instead, topping Brosnan, Mel Gibson, Bill Murray, Kevin Costner and others.

"I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman," the 61-year-old actor wrote. "But I just couldn't really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously. That was my foolish take on it. It was a joke, I thought. But how wrong was I? Don't get me wrong, because I love Batman, and I grew up on Batman. As a kid in Ireland, we used to get our raincoats and tie them round our neck and swing through the bicycle shed..."

Brosnan missed out on the chance to spar with Jack Nicholson, but he didn't want for lucrative franchises or a Burton-Nicholson collaboration. For proof, put 1996's "Mars Attacks!" on your must-binge list immediately.

Before You Go

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