The Godfather Star Marlon Brando Could’ve Been A Part Of The Batman Series, But He Skipped It For This ‘Anti-Semitic’ Reason!

But the first choice of Tim Burton was not Danny DeVito but The Godfather actor Marlon Brando.

- January 5, 2023 | 7:51 PM IST

Late Marlon Brando Missed Out On The Penguin Role For His 'Anti-Semitic' Views — When Tim Burton Wanted Marlon Brando To Be A Part Of The Batman Franchise(Photo Credit –Instagram)

DC Comics Batman is a very popular choice among filmmakers, and over the years, the audience has got some amazing actors who donned the costume of the caped crusader, including Michael Keaton, but honestly, more than the protagonist, the villains intrigue people’s interest be it Joker or Penguin. Speaking of Keaton’s Batman, actor-comedian and filmmaker Danny DeVito portrayed the role of Oswald Cobblepot, popularly known as Penguin, in Batman Returns. As we said, every batman villain is iconic, and this was too, but did you know that DeVito was not the first choice for this role?

Before DeVito was locked in for the role, actors like Dustin Hoffman and Christopher Llyod were in the running as well. But the first choice of the filmmaker was Marlon Brando.

The late Marlon Brando is known for his illustrious career in Hollywood and especially for the film The Godfather. Tim Burton wanted Marlon for the role of Penguin as per the Turner Classic Movies [TCM]. But Bob Kane, the co-creator of Batman and Warner Bros, both were against Burton on this decision. However, there were no particular reasons given by the studio and Kane behind their rejection, but at that, it was not hard for people to speculate.

According to a report by the Giant Freaking robot, Bob Kane was Jewish in religion, and at that, Marlon Brando had some strong opinions regarding them. The late actor went on record to express his views, as per the report; four years after the release of Batman Returns in an interview on Larry King Live, Marlon went on to say, “Hollywood is run by Jews; it is owned by Jews”. He didn’t stop at that he further criticised them for not “having a greater sensitivity to those who are suffering.”

This was one part of the story behind him not making it as per sources; Brando’s reputation was one of the reasons why the studio didn’t want to have him onboard. There were rumours that he refused to learn his lines or for his antics on set. And when the Keaton-led film was released, Marlon’s shine a bit diminished. On the other hand, Danny Devito became quite noticeable by then and in a positive way. It proved to be a positive thing for Danny DeVito.

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