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
Val Kilmer as a small cameo role. Kilmer spoke at the May 5, 2010, commencement ceremonies of William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. During his week-long visit on campus, he also performed his one-man play, "Citizen Twain". He received an honorary doctorate "in recognition of his creative abilities and his contributions to art and theater." In 2012 Kilmer received a Grammy nomination for Best Spoken Word. He also starred in Harmony Korine's short film "The Lotus Community Workshop, part of the collaborative film "The Fourth Dimension". He plays a version of himself from an alternate reality: a former actor turned self-help guru.