The Legacy Of Tim Burton & Michael Keaton’s Batman In 1979, producers Jon Peters and Peter Guber pitched Batman to Universal Pictures, but the studio turned it down. Warner Bros., the studio behind the successful Superman film franchise, decided to also accept and produce Batman. Warner Bros. hired Tim Burton to direct Batman. Parallel to the Superman casting, a variety of Hollywood A-listers were considered for the role of Batman, including Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tom Selleck,