Val Kilmer reported to be a top contender, though just days after Keaton dropped out, Kilmer was cast. Kilmer took the role without even knowing who the new director was and without reading the script. Released in June 1995, "Batman Forever" was a success at the box office, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. There was debate about Kilmer's performance: some critics, like "The New York Times" Janet Maslin, thought Kilmer was a poor successor to Keaton in the part; while others, such as Roger Ebert, had kind words for Kilmer. "Batman" creator Bob Kane said in a "Cinescape" interview that of
Diane Keaton film debut in "Lovers and Other Strangers" (1970). She followed with guest roles on the television series "Love, American Style" and "Night Gallery", and "Mannix". Between films, Keaton appeared in a series of deodorant commercials. Keaton's breakthrough role came two years later when she was cast as Kay Adams, the girlfriend and eventual wife of Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) in Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 film "The Godfather". Coppola noted that he first noticed Keaton in "Lovers and Other Strangers", and cast her because of her reputation for eccentricity that he wanted her to bring to the role (Keaton