Michael Keaton Says He'd Play Batman Again — Under One Condition

YAHOO NEWS ^ | 11 OCTOBER 2014 | Gwynne Watkins

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

In his new film Birdman, Michael Keaton plays an aging actor living in the shadow of a past superhero role. It would be easy to see this as Keaton’s swan song to Batman, a character he re-invented for the big screen in Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns. But Keaton says that’s not the case. In fact, he’d be willing to play Batman again – under one condition.

“If it was Tim Burton directing? In a heartbeat,” Keaton tells Entertainment Weekly in a new cover story.

[iowamark]

You think Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Alec Baldwin are “terrific”?!

[Dr. Sivana]

I actually prefer the Adam West approach. Comics are supposed to be fun. The 1939 Batman didn’t stay very dark for very long.

[Jane Long]

Batman!

[Hugin]

Heath Ledger’s version of The Joker was the only time I ever found the character scary. Nicholson was too campy for my taste.

[gorush]

“Dammit Janet!”

[gorush]

Night Shift and Pacific Heights were pretty good.

[Morpheus2009]

Unless they are doing a live action Dark Knight Returns, where Batman is now 57 years old,and after hallucinations and nightmares, becomes Batman again and kills off the aged villains for coming back to Gotham. Too bad animation is the farthest that comics story arcs go.

[PapaNew]

Agreed. I was very sorry to have gone to see the Dark Knight with my family. Afterwards, I felt like I had been abused or assaulted.

[Morpheus2009]

IDK, but I found Jack to be hillarious. So hillarious I forgot he was actually murdering over 1,000 people.

[Mastador1]

No matter what you say he was miles above and beyond Kilmer and Clooney!

[what's up]

I hated the Dark Knight.

[moehoward]

"Keaton is 63 years old…"

Maybe more geared to redo…..

[Georgia Girl 2]

Keaton was one of my favorite Batman’s.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Keaton was one of my favorite Batman’s.

[PapaNew]

IMO, Satan was in that movie. I felt it. I absolutely was not surprised when somebody involved in the movie (Heath Ledger) died soon after the production.

Some movies don’t invite you to watch, the dare you. Who needs it? I have enough problems than to pay to watch a movie that feels like it’s my enemy.

How far we’ve fallen. There was a day, in the Classic/Christan era of the 18th and 19th Centuries, where artists were bred and taught to enhance, uplift, edify, and leave the patron better than they were before. That’s one reason I love listening to the classic music of Hayden, Mozart, and Beethoven - the music uplifts you, warms you on the inside, and leaves you smiling.

[Jonty30]

That’s what comic fans want, superheroes that live in the tea world, so to speak.

The 1960’s Batman doesn’t compare with it and that’s a good thing.

[dennisw]

He’ll be lucky if they ask him to play Batman’s butler in training

[Jonty30]

Tea=real.

Phone autocorrect.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Keaton is a fine actor and Burton is a talented director but both were wrong for Batman. Christian Bale is not perfect casting for Batman either, but he was better suited to the role than Keaton, who would have been better cast as the Joker - watch his performance in Beetlejuice and tell me Keaton couldn't have done better as the Joker than Jack Nicholson, who simply played Jack Nicholson in makeup.

And Burton is best suited to the "quirky, odd, movies with a heart" category that he pioneered - stuff like "Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands". Any director who wants to remake Batman needs to honestly ask himself if he really believes he can do anything with the story and acting that isn't already done better in Chris Nolan's outstanding "The Dark Knight".

[what's up]

I know what you mean.

Everyone said what a terrific character the Joker was... played by Ledger.

I hated it. I was not surprised to hear about Ledger dying either. Brokeback Mt. and then this role. Ugh.