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
Val Kilmer was at a high school drama festival when he saw Kilmer and Mare Winningham perform a scene from "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" and the drama teacher, Robert Carrelli, invited him to transfer to Chatsworth High School; he accepted. In the same interview, Spacey said he went to Juilliard because Kilmer did. Kilmer was at that time the youngest person ever admitted to Juilliard. During Kilmer's subsequent "Inside the Actors Studio" interview, he said "Robert Carrelli, who was our teacher, had a knack for producing and directing. And it was either Beverly Hills High, because of their very talented