Throughout April, we’re counting down to the release of Marvel’s Iron Man 3 with our picks for the Greatest Comic Book Movies of All Time; here’s #9….
Batman, 1989.
Directed by Tim Burton.
Starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Tracey Walter, Michael Gough and Jack Palance.
After the phenomenal success of the 1960s Adam West television series, it would be more than two decades before Bob Kane’s Dark Knight Detective returned to the screen in live-action form, courtesy of an unproven director in Tim Burton and hugely contentious casting choice in Michael Keaton.
Despite initial fan concerns, audiences flocked to Burton’s Batman in their droves as the director reinvented the Caped Crusader by taking him back to his roots as a dark vigilante of the night. The film shattered opening weekend box office records, becoming the highest grossing North America release of 1989 and the second-highest globally behind Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It became the first comic book to win an Academy Award, with Anton Furst and Peter Young receiving the Oscar for Best Art Direction-Set Direction for their work on Gotham City, and also sparked a new phase of ‘Batmania’ as fans clamored for all things Batman, shifting over $750 million in official merchandise.
As well as spawning the classic Batman: The Animated Series, Batman also kick-started Warner Bros.’ feature film series, with Burton returning to direct Batman Returns in 1992 before handing over the reigns to Joel Schumacher for Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) – the latter almost killing the franchise until Christopher Nolan rebooted the series with his acclaimed trilogy of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
Batman marks the third appearance in our countdown for the Dark Knight (so far, at least) and the second for Burton and Keaton, with Batman Returns coming in at #27 and the animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm featuring at #25.
Keep up to date with our entire countdown here.
Holy Franchise, Batman! Bringing the Caped Crusader to the Screen – Available now via Amazon.co.uk
Originally published April 17, 2013. Updated November 30, 2022.
