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Actor Michael Keaton has spent the last two years reprising his iconic roles from Tim Burton films. The actor will be seen as the beloved ‘bio-exorcist’ Beetlegeuse in the upcoming sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, the teaser of which debuted earlier this week. Keaton also starred as Bruce Wayne a.k.a Batman in last year’s DCEU filmThe Flash.
While fans were ecstatic to see Keaton don the cowl again, his casting in the original 1989Batmandid not receive the same fanfare. When he was cast as Wayne in the adaptation, many fans reportedly were outraged at the casting as he was known as a comedic actor. Fans reportedly wrote thousands of letters to Warner Bros. to dissuade them from casting Keaton.
Michael Keaton Was Cast InBatmanOver Many Other Stars
While Tim Burton’sBatmanis now considered to be a classic take on the beloved DC character, the filmmaker had to move mountains to get it made in the way he wanted to. For starters, the previous adaptation of the character was the 1960s TV show,Batman, which featured Adam West. The show and subsequent film were considered too campy for the dark material of the comics.
“He was firmly, and underline firmly, against that casting”: Michael Keaton Was Dead Against Tim Burton’s 1 Choice for Batman That’s Still Unbeatable Today
Burton wanted a darker approach to the character when he was hired after his filmPee Wee’s Big Adventurewas released to commercial success. After multiple rewrites, the film was reportedly finally greenlit after Tim Burton’s next filmBeetlejuicewas also a hit. The filmmaker reportedly took inspiration from a darker version of the character in the comics such asThe Killing JokeandThe Dark Knight Returns.
Tim Burtonwas reportedly pressurized to cast a traditional action star to portray the role of Bruce Wayne. Though other stars such as Bill Murray, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, and Kevin Costner were considered, Burton reportedly went to Pierce Brosnan for the role of Batman. Brosnan revealed in aReddit AMAthat he was approached for the role by the director,
“Yes, I did. I went and met with Tim Burton for the role of Batman. But I just couldn’t really take it seriously, any man who wears his underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously. That was my foolish take on it. It was a joke, I thought. But how wrong was I?”
“This is very clever. Cut it”: Michael Keaton Saved Batman Returns from Becoming a ‘Marvel’ Movie With 1 Decision That Was Ahead of its Time
Brosnan would go on to play the role of Doctor Fate in 2022’s box office bombBlack Adam. Tim Burton then cast Michael Keaton after working with him onBeetlejuiceand on the recommendation of producer John Peters, who reportedly said that he imagined an actor who could be both scary and funny (viaThe Guardian).
Michael Keaton’s Casting Caused Outrage Among Fans
Almost all actors who have been cast as the Caped Crusader have faced backlash among fans when they were cast initially. Ben Affleck faced it when he was cast as Batman in Zack Snyder’sBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, a casting which still polarizes fans. Robert Pattinson’s recent casting for Matt Reeves’The Batmantoo caused uproar.
However, even classic actors such asMichael Keatonhad to face the same backlash when he was first announced to be the Knight of Gotham. According to theNY Times, Warner Bros. was subject to a massive letter-writing campaign by fans of the character who were afraid that the studio would again render a campy version of Batman like the TV show.
“He’s badling, he is short”: Vintage Footage Reveals Fans Showed No Love to Michael Keaton After He Was Cast as Batman in Tim Burton’s Franchise
The campaign was so massive that the studio executives had to reportedly oversee the film’s shooting at Pinewood Studios in London. A news segment, which recently went viral onX (formerly Twitter)shows comic book fans talking about their preference for Batman, as they reject Keaton due to his appearance.
While one fan expressed their desire to have a more ‘macho’ looking man as the superhero, another commented on the age of Michael Keaton and mentioned how he was balding. However, fans were quickly convinced of Keaton’s performance once the film was released and his take on the character has been considered to be one of the best of all adaptations.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2416
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Michael KeatonTim Burton
