Our latest Your Nerd Side Show with Fonseca:
Michael Keaton is regarded by many fans of the Caped Crusader to be the definitive version of Batman. However, his casting was not immediately embraced by fans when it was first announced, making Keaton that much more grateful to director Tim Burton for casting him in the role.
Recently, Burton was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and Keaton was there for the ceremony. While speaking at the event, Keaton recalled how Burton presented him with the screenplay for Batman, even though the actor was primarily 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 that his casting caused at the start.
"He hands me a script and goes, ‘Tell me what you think,'” Keaton said at the ceremony, per Heroic Hollywood. “This is after Beetlejuice. After that performance. After that type of movie. He says to the studio, ‘I want that guy.'”
I’ll never understand this why anyone cared.
Keaton added, “I’ll never understand this why anyone cared. The uproar…you would’ve thought we were being invaded. It was unbelievable. The press was going crazy. But he stood by me. The guts it took to stand by that decision will always be appreciated by me.”
Keaton went on to give Burton credit for having an everlasting impact on superhero movies altogether. The actor believes that there's a good chance that the MCU and DCU wouldn't be such popular franchises today if Burton's Batman films hadn't set the stage for that to happen. While it's impossible to know what the genre would be like today if those Batman films didn't exist, it's undeniable how much of an impact they had on pop culture with an influence that continues today.
“There are a lot of people making a lot of money out there 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 this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned.”
Michael Keaton and Tim Burton Reunited for a Fifth Film
Keaton and Burton recently reunited once again for the new sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It extends the collaboration between the two, marking five movies together at this point. Along with two Beetlejuice films and two Batman films, Keaton also had a role as the villain in Burton's live-action adaptation of Disney's Dumbo. However, that role is one that Keaton feels like he like the director down with, unhappy with the performance he gave in that movie.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is playing in theaters.
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