From Adam West to Ben Affleck: Actors who've played Batman on celluloid

From campy to dark and brooding Batman has been played by many actors and in many different ways in the bygone years. And while we warm up to the idea that we would soon see Ben Affleck playing the part, here’s a look at actors who had previously played the superhero onscreen.

[caption id=“attachment_1523587” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Adam West was the first to play the caped crusader in ABC’s popular television series — Batman from 1966 -1968. Rumour has it that the producer of the show William Dozier did not like comics and he thought that the only way to make the show work was to make it campy. Hence West’s version of Batman was an over-the-top superhero with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humour. West also appeared in the first Batman film in 1966. Getty Images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1523597” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Ben Affleck isn’t the first actor to face criticism before appearing on screen as Batman by the superhero’s fans. Twenty years after West, Michael Keaton was cast by director Tim Burton as Batman, a decision that was met with derision by fans.After 50,000 letters of protest were sent to Warner Bros’ offices, Burton got the creator of Batman as a creative consultant to the film. Once the film hit the screens Keaton silenced the critics. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1523591” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Val Kilmer played Batman in just one film — Batman Forever. While his performance received mixed reviews and was the biggest grosser of the Batman films till then, Kilmer didn’t turn up in the film’s sequel. Reportedly, the actor fell out with director Joel Schumacher and Kilmer chose to do another film instead of the Batman sequel. Kilmer might have thanked his stars. Getty Images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1523599” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] George Clooney took over the mantle of the bat from Kilmer and was part of perhaps the worst portrayal of the superhero on screen since Adam West. Clooney himself called the film, ‘a waste of money’. The film, however, made one notable contribution to the Batman legend. The Batsuit for the first time ever had nipples on it. To this day we don’t know why. Getty Images[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1523601” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] Christopher Nolan reinvented the Batman franchise and his trilogy: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises are perhaps the most successful Batman films ever made. Christian Bale took up the cape and brought to the character intensity unseen before and perhaps set the standard for any future portrayals of the superhero. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption] [caption id=“attachment_1523703” align=“alignleft” width=“940”] After facing the most flak even before he wore the cowl, we finally know what Ben Affleck looks like as the new Batman. Director Zack Snyder tweeted this picture of the actor in the Batsuit that seems to be heavily inspired by Frank Miller’s ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ graphic novel. He may have got the look right, but can Affleck prove his critics wrong? Courtesy: Twitter[/caption]