Michael Keaton is considered by many fans of the Dark Knight to be the definitive version of Batman. However, his casting was not immediately met with enthusiasm by fans when it was first announced, making Keaton even more grateful to director Tim Burton for choosing him for the role.
Recently, Burton was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Keaton was in attendance at the ceremony. While speaking at the event, Keaton recalled how Burton presented him with the script for Batmaneven though the actor was mostly known for his more comedic work at that point in his career. While Keaton admits he didn't understand the passion fans had for the character, he can still remember the backlash his casting initially caused.
“He hands me a script and says, 'Tell me what you think,'” Keaton said at the ceremony, according to Heroic Hollywood. “This is after Beetle Juice. After that performance. After that kind of movie. He tells the studio, “I want that guy.””
I will never understand why anyone cared.
Keaton added: “I'll never understand why anyone cared. The turmoil… you would have thought we were being invaded. It was incredible. The press was going crazy. But he stood by me. The courage it took to support that decision will always be appreciated by me..”
Keaton went on to credit Burton with having a lasting impact on superhero movies as a whole. The actor believes there's a good chance the MCU and DCU wouldn't be as popular franchises today if Burton Batman the films had not set the stage for this to happen. While it is impossible to know what the genre would be like today if those Batman movies didn't exist, there's no denying how much of an impact they had on pop culture, with an influence that continues to this day.
“There are a lot of people out there who are making a lot of money with their superhero movies because of his choice and his vision of what those movies could be, because he changed everything,” Keaton said. “I can't necessarily say, but there's a strong possibility that there's no Marvel Universe, there's no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He's been questioned and questioned.”
Michael Keaton and Tim Burton Reunite for a Fifth Film
Keaton and Burton recently reunited for the new sequel Beetle Juice Beetle Juice. Extends the collaboration between the two, scoring five films together at this point. Along with two Beetle Juice film and two Batman film, Keaton also had a role as a villain in Burton's live-action adaptation of the Disney novel DumboHowever, that role is one that Keaton feels like the director liked, dissatisfied with the performance he gave in that film.
Beetle Juice Beetle Juice is currently showing in theaters.
Source: Variety