Tom Hanks is considered one of the most iconic actors in the entertainment industry. The star has given numerous box office hits in his career, including Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Saving Private Ryan, and others. The actor has donned a wide variety of roles in his career span, comedic and dramatic ones, however, he has not yet debuted in the comic book hero world. The fans of the legendary actor eagerly waited for him to star as a superhero soon.
However, there was once a time when he was almost cast as the caped crusader for a comic book superhero film, but things did not work out for him.
Tom Hanks almost starred in Batman Begins
Michael Keaton played the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). However, the actor departed from the character after 1992, and the director of the film was looking for someone who could fill in the shoes of Keaton. Almost all the popular actors of the time wanted to be cast for the role. Tom Hanks too was considered for the role of Batman. He had earned a reputable name in Hollywood by that time for being an incredible actor.
The director was quite interested in giving the Batman costume to Hanks. However, there is no accurate detail about casting the star for the role. Numerous other actors were in the run for the character after Michael Keaton, with Tom Hanks‘ name in the mix as well. Unfortunately, the actor did not get the part and it finally went to Val Kilmer, who starred in Batman Forever in 1995.
The casting of the film started in 1994, but by the end of the year, he had given one of the biggest hits of his career, Forrest Gump. It was one of the biggest box office successes and a critically acclaimed film.
Also read- “From that, came the movie”: Tom Hanks Read a Single Article, Came Up With This $429M Movie
Tom Hanks revealed the reason for not doing Superhero Movie
In the past decade, superhero movies have dominated the cinematic industry, with high-grossing films like Avengers: Endgame, Spider-man: No Way Home, Venom, Guardians of The Galaxy, and more. However, superhero movies are comparatively smaller in ratio to the number of films produced every year. Hence, Hanks may have not considered being part of the genre.
In 2013, while promoting his film Captain Phillips, Hanks shared that he has not been asked to appear in superhero films, but he especially liked the idea of portraying the role of The Flash.
In September 2022, Hanks shared in an interview that Marvel Studios had never contacted him for any of their projects. He shared that he is impressed by the movies made by Marvel. However, Hanks feels that like the Western movie of the 1950s, he would end up in an unfulfilling superhero film. Though he indicated a willingness to work in a superhero film, he wished to focus more on making all kinds of motion pictures.
Tom Hanks was last seen in A Man Called Otto, which was released in January 2023. The film is streaming on Netflix.
Also read- Steven Spielberg Shot Himself in the Foot, Turned Down $183M Oscar Winning Tom Hanks Classic
Source- Collider
