Unlike George Clooney, Michael Keaton looks back at his time as Batman with pride.
Screen Rant reports Keaton spoke during a “Birdman” panel at New York Comic Con 2014. The actor talked about his time in the Batsuit on Tim Burton’s sets.
“Having played Batman and being very proud of playing Batman. I never back off that. The idea was bold, interesting, and cool when Tim made it. I didn’t really put it together, Edward did [a superhero movie] too. I just go to work,” Keaton said.
He added, “When I took the original, I was unfamiliar with comic books. I wasn’t a comic book reader. [Reading the script he thought], this isn’t the way that I see the character but am glad to read it. Then I met Tim the next day, I’m saying [Batman] is this and this, and he was nodding in agreement. So I asked, are they going to make this? Tim said, ‘I don’t know. Let’s find out.’”
Keaton also told Entertainment Weekly (via ComicBook) he would put on the Batsuit again if Burton was directing the film.
“If it was Tim Burton directing? In a heartbeat. Tim, in the movies, really invented the whole dark-superhero thing. He started everything, and some of the guys who have done these movies since then don’t say that, and they’re wrong,” the actor said.
In fact, Burton is likely the only reason Keaton would consider taking on Batman ever again. The actor isn’t interested in the Batman adaptations that came after his time as the Caped Crusader.
“Chris Nolan is great, but I’ve never seen any of the Batman movies all the way through,” Keaton told EW. “I know they’re good. I just have zero interest in those kinds of movies. I mean, people are asking me, ‘Is Ben Affleck going to be any good?’
“And my attitude is, First of all, why would you ask me? Second, he’s probably going to be very good, and third, frankly, it’s all set up now so that you’re weirdly kind of safe. Once you get in those suits, they really know what to do with you. It was hard then; it ain’t that hard now.”
“Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” is slated to hit theaters on March 25, 2016. Keaton’s “Birdman” will be released on Oct. 17.
