Hollywood Casting and Mis-Casting

[The Baron]

(So as not to further drag the "Leslie Nielsen" thread further off course...)

The Commander said:

"We watch something like, say, Columbo, and think to ourselves, of course Peter Falk was the perfect actor for the part."


I'd always heard that the part of Columbo was originally written for Bing Crosby. With respect to "der Bingle", I just can't imagine what it would've been like with him in the part.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

Philip Portelli said:

This might seem weird but I liked Clooney as Bruce Wayne, especially his scenes with Michael Gough's Alfred. The Batman parts were difficult to watch and don't get me started with Batgirl!

I am actually with you on this Philip. I figured Clooney did the best with what he had to work with.

[Figserello]

I remember Clooney saying in promotional interviews for B&R that he figured it was a long time since Bruce's parents had been killed, so his Batman was kinda over it by now. Hence the laid-back and urbane portrayal of our favourite driven vigilante.

That should have tipped me off...

Batman and Robin always gets a hard time, so in the interests of balance, and for those of you who like detailed critical analyses of things...

There's a blog entry in splash page cinema which gives a very appreciative reading of what Schumacher actually put in his film, and what he was probably trying to do, rather than merely complain about what the film wasn't.

[Philip Portelli]

Clooney's dry wit was preferable to Val Kilmer's constant intensity. I really had no clue to what he was going for. Driven, emotionally seperate, angry, secretive, he should have filmed Infinite Crisis!

[ClarkKent_DC]

Figserello said:

I remember Clooney saying in promotional interviews for B&R that he figured it was a long time since Bruce's parents had been killed, so his Batman was kinda over it by now. Hence the laid-back and urbane portrayal of our favourite driven vigilante.

That should have tipped me off...

Wow ... what a concept, that Bruce Wayne grew up and put his grief behind him.

I like it!

Regrettably, I've never seen the pilot episode of the Batman TV show, but I understand Batman makes mention of the fact his parents were killed -- and it's never addressed again through the run of the show.

It's a far cry better than this: "My Parents Are Dead."

[Philip Portelli]

I do remember Bruce addressing that his parents were "victims of crime" once. But since in the TV-Batworld, no one was ever that much of a threat, it could be ignored. In fact during the 40s, 50s and 60s, unless it was a retelling of his origin or a story involving Bruce's family (at this time Bruce had other family members), the Waynes' murders were seldom mentioned. It was in the 70s that "My Parents Are DEAD!" was overly emphasized.

In discussing Morrison's Batman, I postulated that the Waynes' tragic end must have been a media frenzy and therefore it's Bruce, not Batman who is never allowed to move on. There would be mention of it in every story written about him, in every interview he gives, much like the Princes about Diana.