- Pierce Brosnan said that he almost played Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" movie.
- The "Black Adam" star said that he messed up the audition by joking about Batman's costume.
Pierce Brosnan said that he thinks he lost out on the role of Batman after making a "stupid" comment to director Tim Burton about the character's famous costume.
Brosnan makes his superhero debut as the DC character Doctor Fate in "Black Adam," which premieres next week. However, during an interview on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" Wednesday, Brosnan recalled how he was close to playing a different DC hero in the 1989 "Batman" movie.
"I went up for Batman way back in the day when Tim Burton was doing it," he said. "Obviously, I didn't get the job."
Brosnan continued: "I remember saying something stupid to Tim Burton. I said, 'You know, I can't understand any man who would wear his underpants outside his trousers.' But there you go. The best man got the job, and Doctor Fate and I were meant to meet on the same page, I think."
The role eventually went to Michael Keaton, who also played the role in the sequel "Batman Returns," and will reprise the role in the upcoming "Flash" movie. Keaton was also supposed to appear in the "Batgirl" movie before the film was axed by Warner Bros. Discovery after filming had wrapped.
Later in the interview with Fallon, Brosnan joked about his character's superhero costume for "Black Adam." Doctor Fate wears a golden helmet shielding his head from view.
When Fallon asked if he could see under the helmet, Brosnan replied: "You can't see a thing. It's darkness. There were two helmets. There was this stylish, gorgeous-looking, sleek helmet that's in the other photograph and then there was one that I could actually physically put on."
He continued: "But, of course, you're standing there in a mocap suit, a motion-capture suit, which is the most inelegant and kind of humorous thing to wear. Ping-pong balls, grey tights. You got to have a sense of humor."
"Black Adam," starring Dwayne Johnson, is in theaters on October 21.