Batman Forever Keaton chose not to reprise his role, William Baldwin and Ethan Hawke were considered as a replacement before Kilmer joined the cast. The film was released on June 16, 1995, receiving mixed reviews, but was a financial success. "Batman Forever" grossed over $336 million worldwide and became the sixth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1995. The film was followed by "Batman & Robin" in 1997, with Schumacher returning as the director and George Clooney replacing Kilmer as Batman. In Gotham City, the crime fighter Batman defuses a hostage situation caused by a criminal known as Two-Face, the alter ego of the former
Nick Clooney Movies That Changed Us: Reflections on the Screen" (Atria, 2002). The book analyzes the significance of such iconic American films as "The Birth of a Nation", "The Jazz Singer", "Dr. Strangelove", "Stagecoach", "The Graduate", "Star Wars" and "Saving Private Ryan". Clooney was the commencement speaker for the University of Cincinnati on June 8, 2012 and was awarded an honorary degree the following day. In 2014, Nick Clooney appeared in "The Monuments Men" which was directed by his son, George Clooney, who played one of the leading characters, Stokes. Nick Clooney played the older Stokes visiting Bruges, Belgium, years later to