Irish actor Pierce Brosnan is making his superhero debut as Doctor Fate in DC’s Black Adam. In a recent interview, he revealed that he was once almost cast as the dark knight until he made fun of his costume.
Pierce Brosnan enters the world of DC and Batman as Doctor Fate in the upcoming film Black Adam. He spoke to Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show recently to discuss his DC debut.
However, he also revealed that he was once nearly cast as Batman himself, but a “stupid comment” may have cost him the job.
Pierce Brosnan reveals ‘stupid comment’ that cost him Batman role – a dig at Batman’s costume
The Irish actor, who grew up in Navan, County Meath, is making his debut into the DC Universe with a portrayal of Doctor Fate in Black Adam, which will be available to watch in cinemas around the world on 21 October.
When Jimmy Fallon asked Brosnan if he would ever do a superhero movie, he replied, “ I went up for Batman, way back in the day when Tim Burton was doing it, and obviously, I didn’t get the job”.
Fallon then jokes about how he had to “settle for James Bond”. Brosnan continues by saying, “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’”.
He went on to say that the best man got the job, in reference to Michael Keaton taking on the role in the 1989 film.
James Bond instead of Batman – a four-part run
At the time, Brosnan was mostly doing odd TV roles. His part in the crime series Remington Steele, though, caught the attention of Bond producers who were searching for the next man to replace Timothy Dalton as James Bond.
While he regrets making that comment to Burton years earlier, Pierce Brosnan went on to smash the silver screen in his GoldenEye James Bond debut in 1995, which saw him run for three more instalments as Bond until 2002.
He told GQ that he was trying to “walk a line between Roger (Moore) and Sean Connery and not being shy about taking from their work.
“I allowed myself the grace to try and get the sense of humour that both men brought to the part”.
An incredible cinematic journey – an impressive repertoire
Pierce Brosnan saw a James Bond film for the first time when he was 11 years old. His mother’s husband, William Carmichael, took him to see Goldfinger where they were living in Scotland. Over 30 years later, Brosnan would be playing the man he watched on screen.
Now, three decades on from wrecking his chances at playing Batman in 1989, Brosnan dons a cape as Doctor Fate. Brosnan told Jimmy Fallon, “Doctor Fate and I were meant to meet on the same page, I think”.
Brosnan told ET Online that the character he plays “traversed the ages of time”, something the 69-year-old actor continues to do himself with impeccable style.
