Tom Hanks’ Hollywood career hit an all-time high in the 90s. He had some of his well-accomplished and iconic films during the period. He won two consecutive Oscars for Best Actor for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump in 1993 and 1994. He instantly became the biggest name in the industry and every producer in Hollywood wanted to work with the actor. He had other notable hits in the 90s including A League of Their Own, Sleepless in Seattle, Apollo 13, Toy Story, You’ve Got Mail, Saving Private Ryan, and The Green Mile.
He was presented with many roles and opportunities to star in some high-profile films at the time, owing to his big Oscar wins. This included an iconic DC superhero that Warner Bros debated with when they were casting the part.
Tom Hanks Was Considered for Batman Role in Batman Forever
Starting from the 2010s, Hollywood went on to be defined by big studio tentpole films, predominantly the superhero films that Disney and Warner Bros were putting out. The MCU and DCU are the major discussion points and the most successful genre in Hollywood right now. While actor Tom Hanks has never appeared in any superhero film to date, he was considered a major player in the DC universe in the 90s when the genre was not as big as it is today.
Hanks was on the list of potential candidates to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1995 reboot of the Batman franchise Batman Forever. As Collider revealed, he was in the running for the role along with other actors including William Baldwin and Ethan Hawke. The role eventually went to Val Kilmer. Although he missed out on playing such an iconic character, he made it up by appearing in two widely successful and acclaimed films including Apollo 13 and Toy Story in 1995. He might not have given the audiences these gems if he was cast as Batman.
Tom Hanks Has Praised the MCU While Leaving His Opportunities Open
Tom Hanks has time and again acknowledged his awareness of not being a part of the superhero zeitgeist that has taken over Hollywood. In a recent interview, he further talked about how the superhero genre is the reigning genre of the current time and also praised the filmmaking and acting in some of the MCU films. He told the Happy Sad Confused Podcast (on YouTube),
“You can maybe say that the John Ford universe of Westerns is not that different, perhaps than the Marvel universe of motion pictures. If it’s a bodacious John Ford Western, would you do it? You might do that. Look, I haven’t seen [every MCU movie]. I’ll give you that right now, but the ones I’ve seen I’ve never come away from [them] without thinking, ‘There are a couple of great performances in there. Man, those people really gave their all'”
It would be interesting for an actor of Hanks’ caliber to join the MCU. It would give the franchise a prestige quality and increase the hype and excitement of the project he is participating in. Only time can tell if he will ever take part in the MCU or any role in the superhero world.
Fans can watch Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Batman in Batman Forever on Max.
