From Michael Keaton’s ill-fated return in the canceled Batgirl to Ben Affleck’s return as Batman in Aquaman (and now Val Kilmer), DC is (or was) cashing in on Dark Knight nostalgia.
Val Kilmer played DC’s vigilante in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever. When the digital version of Top Gun: Maverick came out, where he plays “Iceman,” he did a short email interview with IGN. When asked if he would like to make a cameo as Batman, Val Kilmer said, “Yes, please.” A few words can say everything.
Will Val Kilmer play Batman again?
In Batman Forever, Val Kilmer played the superhero instead of Michael Keaton. The movie ditched the character’s dark and brooding style in favor of a lighter, more family-friendly one. The response was lukewarm: reviews were mixed, and Val Kilmer’s Batman is one of the most underrated Dark Knight actors in history. At least, Kilmer is at the bottom of our list. But everything is remembered with nostalgia these days, even the bad Batman movies, so we won’t be upset if our childhood heroes come back.
This year, Val Kilmer’s character, Iceman, met Tom Cruise’s character, Maverick, in the movie Top Gun: Maverick. After their fierce competition calmed down, the two top drivers became good friends based on mutual respect. Director Joseph Kosinski said this about the sweet scene: “We were all a little nervous about showing it to her because we wanted her to like it so much. But his answer was so lovely. He was so happy and moved that it made us feel good and like we might have done the right thing.
Still, there’s more! Michael Mann just published the book version of the sequel to his classic crime movie Fire vs. Fire. Val Kilmer has said that playing the professional thief Chris Shiherlis again “would be fun,” adding, “I love Michael Mann. We get along well and have a lot of faith in each other.” Whether or not the book will be made into a movie is still up in the air, but the story follows Chris as he tries to leave Los Angeles after robbing a bank. It can be seen as both a prequel and a sequel to the first movie.
Val Kilmer wouldn’t work on a Fire vs. Fire sequel that takes place right after the first movie, but he might make another cameo.
