Things We Saw Today: Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy Were Almost Batman and Robin?!?

In 1989, many A-list actors were vying for the title role in Batman, from Harrison Ford to Mel Gibson to Charlie Sheen. But among those frontrunners were comedy legends and SNL veterans Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy. When Warner Bros. was courting the late Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman to direct Batman, he had the idea to cast Murray as Batman, with Murphy taking the role of Robin. Screenwriter Sam Hamm told the story in the documentary Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight, with Murray confirming it during a 2017 guest stint on  The Late Show with David Letterman. Murray said, “You know, I’ve heard that story, too … and God, I would have been an awesome Batman.”

Murray elaborated on the ill-fated project in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment, saying “I talked to Eddie Murphy about it, and Eddie wanted to play Batman, … That’s as far as that conversation went.” When asked if he would have taken the Robin role, Murray said “I don’t wanna be the Boy Wonder to anybody, … Maybe much earlier when I was a boy. But it was too late for that by the ’80s. Also, I couldn’t do the outfit. Eddie looks good in purple, and I look good in purple. In red and green, I look like one of Santa’s elves. There was just a lot of vanity involved in the production. It wasn’t gonna happen.”

One can only imagine what a Murray/Murphy team-up would have looked like. In the end Tim Burton took the reins, casting Michael Keaton as Batman, and the rest is history. However, if Murphy and Murray want to team up for an older Bat saga, I would 100 percent watch that.

(via Yahoo! Entertainment, image: Columbia Pictures/Paramount Pictures)

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Hope you’re having a chill Sunday, Mary Suevians!

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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