Mark Wahlberg Reveals the Real Reason His Batman & Robin Role Never Happened
Mark Wahlberg says he was inches from playing Dick Grayson in 1997’s Batman & Robin opposite George Clooney, but a last-minute snag put Chris O’Donnell in the suit instead — and he now reveals why the role slipped away as the film tanked with critics and fans.
Mark Wahlberg almost put on the red-and-green tights in the 90s. Seriously. The 'Play Dirty' star says he got close to playing Robin under Joel Schumacher, then thought better of the whole superhero thing. And yes, this involves the infamous 'Batman & Robin'.
Wahlberg and the Robin that almost was
In a new ET interview, Wahlberg said he met with Joel Schumacher about playing Dick Grayson in 1997's 'Batman & Robin'. No official offer ever landed, but the conversations happened. He liked Schumacher, just not the project.
- 1995: For 'Batman Forever', Wahlberg met with the team multiple times about Robin. Again, no official offer, and he later said he was glad it never came.
- 1997: For 'Batman & Robin', he was in talks for Robin and met with Schumacher. Still no offer, and he was not particularly interested in that kind of movie.
For context: 'Batman & Robin' ultimately starred George Clooney as Batman, with Chris O'Donnell continuing as Grayson. Critics and audiences were not thrilled, which is me being polite about it.
He has mostly dodged the superhero lane
Wahlberg has largely stayed away from comic book movies. When ET asked if he would ever join the MCU if Robert Downey Jr. called, he played it humble and a little hesitant. He praised 'Iron Man' as a gold standard for the genre but said he has never chased that kind of role.
'I don't know if I have the confidence to walk out of my trailer in one of those costumes.'
He added that he has not really had the opportunity anyway, so he has never had to decide whether to say yes. Translation: not a hard no, but definitely not hunting for capes.
The earlier brush with 'Batman Forever'
This was not a one-off. Back in March 2024, on Josh Horowitz's 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast, Wahlberg said he also met multiple times about 'Batman Forever' in 1995, but it never turned into an offer. He was, in his words, happy it did not work out.
So in another timeline, Wahlberg suits up as Robin in the 90s and inherits that neon-lit era. In this one, he passed by default, and given how 'Batman & Robin' landed, you can see why he is not losing sleep over it.