Earlier this year, fans were shocked and disappointed to learn that Marlon Wayans almost portrayed Robin in “Batman Returns.”
As surprising as the casting decision might be to some, it is even more uncanny to learn that Wayans is happy things did not pan out with his appearance in the movie. He was cast to star alongside Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and several other actors for the 1989 flick, but producers ultimately decided to axe Batman’s comic book sidekick before cameras ever began rolling. He was considered for the role again for “Batman Forever,” but Chris O’Donnell ultimately landed the gig.
In a resurfaced clip from the comedian’s 2019 appearance on “Drink Champs,” he explained why missing out on his chance to roam Gotham City allowed him to build the career fans know him for. “If it didn’t happen, this is what I try to tell — I tell this to the audience, I tell this to the people, I tell this to my kids — if it didn’t happen, it wasn’t meant to be,” he said in the clip posted to his Instagram page on Dec. 9.
The “Sextuplets” creator continued, “What’s God trying to tell you? When that didn’t happen for me, it was God saying, ‘I don’t want the easy road for you. I need you to have a harder road. If I did Robin, I would have never written ‘Don’t Be A Menace…’ I would have never did ‘Scary Movie,’ I would have never did, created ‘The Wayans Brothers’ with my brother Shawn. I never would have did the things that I wound up doing. Being that I didn’t do that was the best thing that never happened.” An additional silver lining around the situation is that he was also compensated $100,000 and still receives residual checks, according to Cinemabland.
Comic artist and illustrator Joe Quinones worked on the blockbuster Batman film that was directed by Tim Burton. Last year, Quinones revealed sketches that showed his concept for the comedian as Robin. Like the comic book, his attire took on a red, yellow, and green color scheme. However, instead of the traditional Boy Wonder tights and cape, Wayans would have worn a face mask that covered his mouth and a hood.
The multifaceted talent has written, produced, and starred in several movies, and his own show, “Marlon,” since moving on from the role. However, he still has his eyes set on portraying a comic book character. In a 2009 interview with Gizmodo, he said, “I would like to do the Mask. Jim Carrey did one, Jamie Kennedy did two. I would like to do three.”
