Michael Keaton on why he left Batman Forever and returned for The Flash

When telling a story about Batman, perhaps the first question a creator asked is who or what makes Batman what it is. Is he Bruce Wayne in a bat costume or a vigilante disguised as a billionaire? This question of dueling identities has been at the center of the character since his earliest days Detective comics in 1939. The character has undergone a variety of transformations since Bob Kane and Bill Finger’s days, and Michael Keaton’s Batman presents one of those key moments.

During the backstage podcast, Keaton spoke about his appearances on Tim Burtons Batman and Batman returns, and why he refused to continue with Joel Schumacher’s Batman forever. The gossip is pure ’90s, but the questions Keaton had at the time remain crucial to understanding the character.

The podcast that was first discovered by The playlist, includes those details around the 50 minute mark when Keaton is asked about roles closing in on his long career. One example is the thematic links between the 1988 film Clean and sober, which focuses on addiction, and the recent Hulu miniseries Dopesick, in which Keaton plays a pain reliever doctor. But his role as Batman came back more directly with his casting The Lightning as well as Batgirl.

Image: Warner Bros. Entertainment

Burton played a huge role in making Batman “artistically iconic,” says Keaton. Commenting on the actor’s view of his performance as Batman, he says, “I knew from the start that it was Bruce Wayne. That is the secret. I never talked about it. [People would say,] “Batman does this,” and you’re all wrong here. It’s about Bruce Wayne. Who is this guy What kind of person does that? “

Batman returns was a hit both financially and critically, but that came with cultural reservations. Neither Warner Bros. nor corporate partners like McDonald’s were happy with the sophistication of the film. As told by an anonymous rival studio manager Weekly entertainment 1992: “When you bring Burton and Keaton back, you get stuck with their vision. You can’t expect Honey, I’ve shrunk Batman. “

McDonald’s has been widely criticized for introducing a PG-13 movie to a younger audience, and even the ire of one Editorial of the New York Times that read: “Despite its comic origins, this summer’s Batman sequel, Batman returns, is not a film for small children ”and that the fast food restaurant chain made an“ annoying marketing misjudgment ”when promoting collector’s cups and toys.

Image: Warner Bros. Entertainment

After the company claimed that the toys were “not designed to encourage young children to watch the movie,” the company eventually discontinued the promotion. Weekly entertainment wrote that back then Batman returns had “displeased both poles of his audience – the barrage of youthful ties has undermined his adult attraction, while his perverse craziness discourages some children.” Still, EW coverage theorized that “the public’s seemingly insatiable appetite for Gotham-related tchotchkes almost guarantees it that Warner will conduct further follow-up studies by the end of the century “.

Entertainment Weekly was right about Warner Bros Falling down. But Keaton said that after meeting Schumacher a few times, the actor could say he wouldn’t bring a similar mindset to the next Batman film.

“I remember one of the things I didn’t think, ‘Oh boy, I can’t do this’. [was] Where [Schumacher] said: ‘I don’t understand why everything has to be so dark and so sad.’ And I said, ‘Wait a minute. Do you know how this guy became Batman? ‘”Keaton cites Frank Miller’s work on the character and Burton’s vision as being consistent with his own.

This vision did not fit with Schumacher’s, his Batman forever saw Val Kilmer put on the robe instead. Much like Burton, the success of this film led to a sequel, but that sequel was widely viewed as being too one-directional. While Batman & Robin ended up knocking the world’s greatest detective out of theaters for some time, eight years later, a fresh start called Batman begins started asking the same questions about Bruce Wayne and who exactly was behind the mask.

Keaton’s version wasn’t all dark and brooding, however. He says he saw Bruce Wayne as “bizarre,” “not always sure,” and “kind of weird, unusual guy”. He also describes how he and Burton tried to find the humor in the character, something that doesn’t resonate as strongly with most modern live-action depictions. In his upcoming roles as a character, he will have the chance to show current audiences what they have been missing so far.