Michael Keaton Says He'll "Never Understand" the Backlash When He Was Cast as Batman
When it was announced that Michael Keaton would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton’s Batman, there was a pretty big backlash from fans.
I remember the first thing my dad said was, “They cast Mr. Mom as Batman! This is going to suck! Mr. Mom can’t be Batman!” It’s so funny that this comment stuck with me. I remember reading about the fan backlash in the newspaper!
While there was no internet at the time for fans to lash out on, 50,000 fanboys reportedly wrote letters to Warner Bros. protesting the casting of Keaton, which is hilarious when you think about it now. Could you imagine the insanity that would spread if there were social media in the ‘80s!?
Regardless of the complaints, Burton stood by his choice of casting Keaton and he ended up making an awesome Batman movie, and now Keaton is regarded as one of the best live-action versions of Batman.
Director Tim Burton was recently presented with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to mark the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Keaton was there to introduce his longtime collaborator and reflect on his Batman experience.
Keaton said that he’ll never understand the backlash behind his casting, saying: "He hands me a script and goes, 'Tell me what you think.’ This is after Beetlejuice. After that performance. After that type of movie. He says to the studio, 'I want that guy.' I’ll never understand this why anyone cared."
He continued: "The uproar...you would’ve thought we were being invaded. It was unbelievable. The press was going crazy. But he stood by me. The guts it took to stand by that decision will always be appreciated by me."
He then credited Burton for showing that superhero movies could be incredibly successful, saying: "What that [movie] spawned...there are a lot of people making a lot of money out there with their superhero movies because of his choice and his vision of what those movies could be, because he changed everything."
He later added: "I can’t necessarily say this, but there’s a strong possibility there is no Marvel Universe, there is no DC Universe, without Tim Burton. He was doubted and questioned."
In the end, Burton made the perfect casting choice and Keaton gave such an incredible performance as Batman!