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 "The Prince of Egypt". Finally in 2004, Kilmer appeared in an episode of "Entourage", where he played a Sherpa whose primary source of income was the growing, harvesting and distributing high-quality cannabis, all under a guise of metaphysical insights. Kilmer was in negotiations with Richard Dutcher (a leading director of Mormon-related films) to play the lead role in a film entitled "Prophet: The Story of Joseph Smith", although the project never materialized. Kilmer performed in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" on the London stage from June to September 2005. In 2005, he co-starred with Robert Downey, Jr. in the action-comedy