Despite the praise for Birdman and a long memorable career, people still like to bring up Batman when chatting with Michael Keaton. The good thing is he’s pretty cool with that. He’s proud of his time as the caped crusader and has nothing but good will towards to the newest Batman, Ben Affleck. From Variety:
“No,” he simply said when asked if he feels envious. “Do you know why? Because I’m Batman. I’m very secure in that.”
In light of the 25th anniversary of Tim Burton’s “Batman,” Keaton said he’s proud of the director for ushering in the era of superhero movies.
“Tim changed, or started, everything,” he said. “And I’m proud of the choice I made, in terms of how to play Batman. It’s probably easier now because Tim paved the way, and if I did anything to pave the way, I’m proud of that, too.”
That’s probably the best response a former Bat-actor has given in reference to the newest iteration of the character. A lot better than Christian Bale’s “jealousy” and wisdom. Also Keaton just doesn’t give a f*ck, so you know he’s not bullsh*tting you.
He went on to talk a bit about Tim Burton and his own role in ushering in the superhero film to a larger public:
“You can step into it more easily now, is my guess,” he said. “Technically, (superhero movies) do everything for you. They create a world where all you’ve basically got to do is show up, not f— it up too much and you’ll come off OK.”
You can’t really deny that Tim Burton’s Batman movie was a cultural shift for the character and comic book movies as a whole. Much like Superman: The Movie, it birthed a franchise that we use as a measuring stick for other comic movies.
Kinda makes you wish that we’d get one more Burton take on the character, possibly with an old grizzled Keaton in the cowl. It might be a bit silly now considering what went down in Birdman, but he’s open to it. Make it happen.
(Via Variety)
