Three more names are being added to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Los Angeles City Council voted Friday to approve the addition of three new stars on the well-known boulevard. These stars will be actor/filmmaker John Waters, recording artist Marc Anthony, and DC Comics character Batman (yes, the actual character).

Even after being elected to have a star placed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce’s Walk of Fame Selection Committee, a rigorous approval process takes place — including being placed before the L.A. City Council for final approval.

Waters is an acclaimed actor and filmmaker known for writing and directing the 1988 hit comedy film Hairspray. He rose to prominence with dark cult classics throughout the ‘70s, including Midnight Maniacs in 1970, Pink Flamingo in 1972, and Female Trouble in 1974. 

These movies utilized intense shock value and dark humor to push the boundaries of cinema and comedy and is considered one of the grandfathers of cult cinema as part of the era of Cinema of Transgression in the 1970s and 1980s. Following his success with Hairspray in 1988, he went on to direct several more films independently, including Cry Baby and Cecil B. Connected.

A point about Waters’ earlier films more poignantly today was his positioning of LGBTQ+ members in his films. As noted in a video essay exploring Waters’ influence on pop culture, Waters’ use of queer characters as protagonists and the focus of a plot as opposed to villains or stereotypes meant to be mocked in movies like Pink Flamingo and Female Trouble were unheard of concept at the time and have had subtle influences on much of cinema today.

Marc Anthony released his first album in 1991 and has since gone on to win four Grammys and eight Latin Grammy awards. His self-titled album “Marc Anthony” released in 1999 reached number 8 on the Billboard 200, and he has reached the number one spot on music billboards in three countries.

He holds the title of the top-selling tropical salsa artist of all time and is also well-known for his ballads. Anthony is most popular in Latin America, but also found success in English-language music with his 1999 album, including singles “You Sang to Me” and “I Need to Know” that reached the number two and three spots respectively on the Billboard 200. 

“In the middle of the whirlwind, Anthony sings with tremendous ability, running notes down and sitting on them for long periods just because he can — and, it’s worth noting, the majority of his younger peers cannot,” a 2019 Rolling Stone review of Anthony’s album “Opus” said. “Every vulnerable quaver of Anthony’s voice doubles as a show of brute, you-can’t-touch-this strength.”

DC Comic’s caped crusader Batman is a household name known well beyond the comic fanbase. The character has been a popular subject in Hollywood films since his debut in Detective Comics #27 in 1939.

Starting from his first movie in 1942, he has since appeared in over 20 Hollywood productions. The most recent film to feature the character as the central protagonist — The Batman starring Edward Pattinson — was the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022 with a $771 million box office. Versions of Batman also appeared in this summer’s The Flash. 

For the Batman character, this approval is several years in the making. Batman was originally selected to have a star on the Walk of Fame in 2020 but has yet to receive one. He joins a list of some of the most iconic characters in history to have a star alongside the likes of Bugs Bunny and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Waters’ star reveal ceremony has been set for Sept. 17, but the date of the other two ceremonies have yet to be announced.

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