Michael Keaton returns as Batman in Ezra Miller’s The Flash after years of avoiding the character. The actor’s rendition of the Caped Crusader was widely known as one of the best iterations, so why did he walk out of the franchise?
Keaton starred in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, and its success paved the way for a 1992 sequel, Batman Returns. At that time, the original director was replaced by Joel Schumacher, who wanted to make some drastic changes to the third film.
The Real Reason Michael Keaton Dropped His Batsuit After Two Movies
Michael Keaton was supposed to star in 1995’s Batman Forever, but there were numerous creative differences that were left unsettled between the actor and Joel Schumacher. A source close to the Batman star told Entertainment Weekly:
“Michael was not feeling confident. Creatively, it wasn’t happening. He was worried that the character he’d lived with for two films wasn’t going to be developed the way he wanted it to be developed.”
The insider also revealed that Keaton was not informed of the revisions in the script:
“No one ever called [Keaton] to say, ‘Wait! You’ve got to see this!’ or, ‘Wait ‘til you see what we’ve got for Batman!’”
Upon meeting the new director, Keaton knew that he would take the character in a less serious direction, something that does not entirely live up to Batman’s dark atmosphere. Speaking on the Backstage podcast, the actor confessed:
“I remember one of the things that I walked away going, ‘Oh boy, I can’t do this.’ He asked me, ‘I don’t understand why everything has to be so dark and everything so sad,’ and I went, ‘Wait a minute, do you know how this guy got to be Batman? Have you read… I mean, it’s pretty simple.”
That was Keaton’s signal to walk away from the franchise. Several times he tried to rationalize with Schumacher, suggesting that “I think we don’t want to go in this direction, I think we should go in this direction.”
Still, the director would not budge or listen to Keaton’s appeal. He wanted to make it “campy and silly” which is something the original star could not justify for his portrayal of the hero. The Batman lead was later replaced with Val Kilmer, known for his role as Jim Morrison in The Doors.
Michael Keaton On Reprising Batman Role In Ezra Miller’s The Flash
It was surprising that Michael Keaton decided to come back to the franchise and wear the Batsuit again in The Flash. Who would have thought that his version of Batman would return after 30 years when multiverses now exist in the superhero movie genre?
Keaton shared to Variety what made him agree to reprise the role:
“It seemed like fun. I was curious what it would be like after this many years. Not so much me doing it — obviously, some of that — but I was just curious about it, weirdly, socially. This whole thing is gigantic. They have their entirely own world.”
Surprisingly, the actor’s reason was not as complicated as fans would expect. He noted that the script for The Flash “was actually really good,” and that is why he finally resolved to join the band of modern heroes.
The Flash opens in theaters worldwide this June 16, 2023.
Sources: EW, Backstage, Variety
