Pierce Brosnan on the Batman role he turned down on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Jimmy Kimmel Live type TV Show network ABC genre Talk Show Where to watch Close Streaming Options

In a recent interview with Details magazine, actor Pierce Brosnan revealed he was up for the role of Batman in Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster. The No Escape star appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday night and the host asked why Brosnan declined the superhero role.

“That’s kind of in a grey area if I declined or not,” Brosnan told Kimmel. “But I was kind of hesitant about the whole thing. I couldn’t quite get my head around—“

“Did you know it was Batman?” Kimmel quickly interrupted, aghast.

Brosnan assured Kimmel he knew he would play Batman, but said he was naïve about what the role would entail. “I just didn’t think I was going to fly.”

“Batman can’t actually fly. You were right on that,” Kimmel told Brosnan.

The actor filled out the story in the Details interview saying: “Batman held such an indelible place in my own childhood, but I said something flippant to Tim Burton, like, ‘Any guy who wears his underpants outside his trousers cannot be taken seriously.’ So yeah.”

Considering Superman was the only comic book franchise-turned-movie to be a hit prior to Batman’s release, Brosnan’s choice at the time was logical. In hindsight, at least he got to play Bond.

Watch the clip below to see Brosnan imagine what it would be like to play a Bond villain.

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