Val Kilmer that same year, he starred opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in "Heat", which is now considered one of the best crime/drama films of the 1990s. In December 1993, "Batman Forever" director Joel Schumacher had seen "Tombstone" and was most impressed with Kilmer's performance as Doc Holliday. Schumacher felt him to be perfect for the role of Batman, though at the time, the role was still Michael Keaton's. In July 1994, Keaton decided not to return for a third Batman film after 1992's "Batman Returns", due to "creative differences". William Baldwin (who previously worked with Schumacher on "Flatliners") was
George Clooney the Oscar for his role in "Syriana". Clooney next appeared in "The Good German" (2006), a film noir directed by Soderbergh that is set in post-World War II Germany. In August 2006, Clooney and Heslov started the production company Smokehouse Pictures. In October 2006, Clooney received the American Cinematheque Award, which honors someone in the entertainment industry who has made "a significant contribution to the art of motion pictures". On January 22, 2008, Clooney was nominated for an Academy Award (and many other awards) for Best Actor for "Michael Clayton" (2007). Later that year, he directed his third film, "Leatherheads",