Burt Reynolds Turned Down Batman Role, Called It Career Mistake
The legendary actor almost donned the cape and cowl in the 1960s TV series but walked away, fearing he couldn't handle the campy superhero role that eventually made Adam West famous.
Picture this alternate universe: instead of hearing that iconic theme song followed by Adam West's deadpan delivery, we might have watched Burt Reynolds cruise around Gotham City in the Batmobile. The mustached movie star came incredibly close to landing the lead role in the 1960s Batman television series, but ultimately decided to pass on what would become one of TV's most memorable characters.
A Pattern of Missed Opportunities
Reynolds built quite a reputation for walking away from roles that later became legendary. His list of declined parts reads like a Hollywood hall of fame: Han Solo in Star Wars, James Bond, Superman, and even Jack Nicholson's Oscar-winning performances in Terms of Endearment and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He also said no to Die Hard's John McClane, Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, Rosemary's Baby, and Pretty Woman.
You'd think at some point his representatives would have pulled him aside and pointed out how well things worked out for the actors who actually took these parts. Maybe they tried, or perhaps the phone just stopped ringing as often.
Why He Walked Away from the Cape
When Batman was being cast in 1966, Reynolds wasn't exactly riding high in Hollywood. He'd just finished Navajo Joe, which he later described as so terrible it was only screened in prisons and on airplanes where audiences couldn't escape. His stint playing Quint Asper on Gunsmoke had also recently ended, so his schedule was pretty open.
Despite having the time, Reynolds couldn't see himself squeezing into that tight costume and delivering the kind of cheesy one-liners that defined the show's campy tone. In his memoir But Enough About Me, he explained his reasoning: "I backed away from the original Batman TV series because I doubted I could bring it off and didn't think it was a star-making part."
Reflecting on Adam West's Success
Looking back, Reynolds acknowledged that West was perfect for the role, writing: "I wouldn't have been nearly as good as Adam West, who was brilliant as Batman. But as it happened, I was right: Batman didn't do much for his career." That assessment might be a bit harsh, though. While West never became a major movie star, the Batman role provided him with steady work and recognition for the rest of his life.
There's an interesting footnote to this story: the first time West ever played himself in a movie was in 1978's Hooper, where he appeared as the leading man in a film-within-a-film. The fictional movie's stunt coordinator? None other than Burt Reynolds himself.