For some reason, I get the vibe that Michael never really saw the big deal in regards to being Batman. In other words, it was pretty much another job for him (and a chance to prove that he could do more than be a goofy comedian) and a chance to work w/ his buddy Tim Burton. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that Michael never really wanted to do “Batman Returns” (because he wanted to diversify) but only came back to apiece Tim Burton (and of course, the increased salary helped). In a way, I want to believe that Michael Keaton stepping away from the Batman franchise after two movies was kind of the beginning of the end of his stint as an A-list, box office star. I’m not necessarily saying that it was an out and out mistake of him to not do what would become “Batman Forever” (he probably thought “If Tim Burton isn’t coming back then I’m not coming back!” and was tired of being overshadowed by the likes of Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer). It perhaps didn’t help that Tim Burton himself, seemed to replace him w/ Johnny Depp as his main go-to leading man. What I’m trying to say is that since Keaton was no longer going to be Batman (especially after “Batman Forever” proved to be more commercially successful than “Batman Returns”), much of the general public no longer had an extra incentive to want to see him in anything else. I really believe, that Batman Forever (even though I felt that Val Kilmer did an admirable enough of a job given the circumstances) would’ve had more credibility and weight to it had Keaton returned along w/ Michael Gough and Pat Hingle as Alfred and Gordon respectively. The whole subplot regarding Bruce Wayne trying to show Dick Grayson the consequences of killing out of revenge could easily be interpreted as referring to Keaton’s Batman’s encounter w/ the Joker in the 1989 movie and later in Batman Returns, where Batman’s killing of thugs is more blatant. Batman Forever ironically among the original four films features the most character development for Bruce Wayne. Also, Keaton is actually fairly old enough to plausibly be a father figure to Chris O’Donnell’s Dick Grayson (about 20 years) when compared to Val Kilmer and especially George Clooney. Also, Keaton leaving paved the way for Val Kilmer, who by the end of the ’90s, derailed his own career due to being notoriously difficult to work with (he clashed w/ Joel Schumacher a lot while making, Forever). And w/ Kilmer gone, we got George Clooney, who is by far, the worst ever Batman. In fairness, it’s not a guarantee that Keaton’s more shadowy and mysterious Batman could’ve easily fit into the more colorful and flashy world created by Joel Schumacher (especially the one found in Batman & Robin). Of course, Warner Bros. being so insistent on wanting to appeal to a broader demographic (by having presumably darker/deeper scenes in Forever cut out and bringing in hack extraordinaire Akiva Goldsman to “lighten up” the screenplay) after the parental/McDonald’s backlash to Returns was going to be problematic either way. radiotimes/news/2014-12-15/michael-keaton-i-didnt-make-any-more-batman-films-because-the-scripts-were-bad
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 04:36:42 +0000
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