Batman in film & Robin". The commercials also featured the Danny Elfman Batman theme from Tim Burton's two films. Actor Bruce Thomas portrayed Batman in these ads, while Michael Gough reprised his role of Alfred Pennyworth in one of the ads. "Baywatch" actress Brooke Burns played Vicki Vale in an ad as well. Actor Brian Stepanek played the Riddler in one ad and Curtis Armstrong played the Joker in another. Following a rejected "Batman" origin story reboot Joss Whedon pitched in December 2002, Warner Bros. hired Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer to script "Batman Begins". The duo aimed for a darker and
Batman Begins stated, "Chris Nolan's Batman is the greatest thing that happened [to superhero films] because it bolstered everything." Filmmakers, screenwriters and producers who have mentioned "Batman Begins" or "The Dark Knight" to describe their projects include: Batman Begins Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. It stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman. The film reboots the "Batman" film series, telling the origin story of Bruce Wayne