The Batman film series currently consists of seven superhero films based on the fictional DC Comics character of the same name, portrayed by Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Christian Bale in that order.
The first film, also known as Batman: The Movie or Batman '66, was a theatrical extension of the TV series that was running at the time. In 1985, Warner Bros. hired Tim Burton to direct the 1989 version, which had no connection to the 1966 movie and is often considered the first "definitive" Batman movie. The series continued with Batman Returns (1992), Batman Forever (1995), and Batman & Robin (1997), with various proposals for a fifth installment in the continuity being cancelled after the box-office failure of the fourth. Christopher Nolan rebooted the film series with Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), completely starting over with a new series of films that have no connection to the previous installments. Throughout the films, Batman has fought with villains such as the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, Two-Face, the Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy, Bane, the Scarecrow, and Ra's al Ghul.
