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Batman has become the first ever superhero to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joining a long list of fictional characters on the famous street.
The iconic DC hero, who first debuted in DC comics in March 1939, will be rewarded with his star on 26 September although it has not been revealed if Batman or any of the actors who have previously played the character will be there.
DC president and chief creative officer Jim Lee, who wrote the widely acclaimed Batman series Hush between 2002 and 2003, has been confirmed for the ceremony.
Hollywood Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement: “Fans from around the world will be thrilled to know that Batman will have his star dedicated next to the stars of television’s Batman Adam West and the co-creator of Batman Bob Kane.”
Ewan McGregor was the most recent actor to have his star added.
A total of 11 actors have played Batman in theatrically released movies, starting way back in 1943 with Lewis Wilson and followed by Robert Lowery in 1949. It wasn’t until 1966 that the character would return to the big screen with Adam West playing one of the most beloved and funniest versions of the hero in Batman: The Movie.
Fast forward to 1989 and Michael Keaton donned the cape and cowl for the first serious adaptation of the character starring opposite Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Tim Burton’s highly successful film, which spawned the sequel Batman Returns in 1992. Keaton would return as the character in 2023’s The Flash, which flopped at the box office.
West and Keaton are the only Batman actors to date to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Director Joel Schumacher then took over the franchise in the mid-1990s with Val Kilmer and George Clooney playing Batman in far more campy Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) respectively. The latter, which also starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman, is widely considered to be the worst Batman film.
2005 saw Christopher Nolan begin his Dark Knight trilogy, which to date is the most critically acclaimed and celebrated version of the character that saw Christian Bale play Batman across three epic movies, which largely changed the cinematic landscape for superhero movies.
More recently Ben Affleck has played Batman in Zack Snyder’s mostly failed attempts to bring the DC Universe to life in both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the box office failure that was the first-ever Justice League movie. In 2022, Robert Pattinson played a young version of Bruce Wayne in the dark and gritty The Batman, with a sequel set for 2026.
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In the animated world, the late great Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman across dozens of projects for more than 20 years, played him in two cinematically released films 1993’s Mask of the Phantasm and 2016’s The Killing Joke. Will Arnett has also voiced Batman in the three animated Lego feature films.
When Batman’s name is cemented in the Hollywood Walk of Fame he’ll join a rich list of fictional characters on the walk that include Bugs Bunny, Godzilla, The Simpsons, The Muppets and Mickey Mouse.
