Out of all the actors who played Batman over the years, Michael Keaton might be the most controversial one. However, director Tim Burton had an instinct and a vision, which led to the actor’s casting in the 1989 Batman despite written protests being sent to Warner Bros by 50,000 people at the time.
Prior to working on the superhero film, Burton and Keaton collaborated on 1988’s Beetlejuice. But that wasn’t why the latter felt like the ideal pick to play one of DC’s most loved anti-hero. In an interview with GQ, Burton revealed that the Birdman actor had a “certain energy,” which he thought was perfect for Batman.
“That’s why I wanted him to be in Batman, because you just look in his eyes and he seems intelligent, scary, crazy, everything all at once,” he added. Keaton weighed in on the topic, credited the director for “everything,” and praised his “bold” decision to make the film with him despite the backlash.
“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything,” he said. “There’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned,” he added.
The actor revealed that Burton had seen his 1988 drama Clean and Sober, which played a major role in his casting. “I think what happened was Tim saw Clean and Sober. I get the credit,” he said. Thanks to the director’s vision and accurate instinct, Keaton’s portrayal of Wayne is still deemed one of the best.
After the Batman film, he reprised his role in the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, in an unreleased Batgirl film, and gave a cameo appearance in 2023’s The Flash. Now, the iconic actor-director duo have reunited for the remake of another fan-favorite movie, Beetlejuice.
Meanwhile, Keaton will reprise the erratic ghost, who appears after being summoned and wreaks havoc around town. Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder will reprise their characters as Delia and Lydia Deetz, respectively.
Teasing the highly anticipated sequel, which also stars Wednesday fame Jenna Ortega, Keaton revealed how this part will be more story-driven and less about Beetlejuice’s antics. “The idea was, no, no, no, you can’t load it up with Beetlejuice, that’ll kill it,” he explained. Although the iconic ghost is prominent in the story, he doesn’t drive the narrative as he did in the first part.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice comes out in theaters on September 6.
