According toMichael Keaton, the modern superhero genre would be nothing today without legendary director Tim Burton’s early contributions. Long before Robert Pattinson played a young Batman, before Robert Downey Jr. played Tony Stark in what became the first MCU movie, and before Wesley Snipes questioned the logic and physics of ice skating uphill inBlade, Tim Burton completely redefined Bruce Wayne and comic book movies in 1989’sBatman. With the endless cavalcade of superhero movies, Michael Keaton believes thatBurton’s contributions to the genrehave gone understated by fans.
Speaking toGQabout reprising the titular role inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceafter 36 years away from the character, Keaton looked back at his career and partnership with Tim Burton. Following his breakout role inBeetlejuice, Burton cast Keaton as the eponymous vigilante inBatman, which put a much darker spin on the character than the previous TV version starring Adam West. While Burton’sBatmanwas groundbreaking at the time, it has been overshadowed by an endless wave of modern superhero movies. Keaton said:
“Tim deserves enormous credit. He changed everything. 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.”
Michael Keaton Praises Tim Burton for Casting Him in Batman
Before Keaton was cast inBatman, he was known for his comedic performances — most famously in Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice. When it was announced that Keaton had been cast as Bruce Wayne inBatman, fans lost their minds, and not in a good way. Decades before social media let everyone share their negative opinions at the push of a button, over 50,000 comic book fans protested Keaton’s casting as the beloved Gotham City vigilante. Once the film was released in 1989, the naysayers went quiet, and Burton’s gothic version of Batman became the gold standard, until Christopher Nolan took on the task of rebooting the character 16 years later.
Michael Keaton Reveals if Beetlejuice Will Be More ‘Politically Correct’ in the Sequel
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton also explains how the sequel will follow a similar approach to the title character as its predecessor.
Looking back at his casting, Michael Keaton feels that fans don’t give Tim Burton enough credit for believing in what the actor could bring to the role. Following the movie’s release, fans praised Keaton’s performance, with some claiming that they always knew Keaton could pull it off. But the actor says fans should turn that praise towards the beloved director:
“He hasn’t gotten himself enough credit for going, ‘Yeah — that guy.’ And everybody went, ‘Wait, Michael? You worked with him on Beetlejuice, right?’ But I think what happened was Tim saw Clean and Sober. I get the credit. I don’t know that he got enough credit for making that move. That was a bold move.”
GQ spoke with Burton for the piece, and asked the director why he cast Keaton in the leading role. The director didn’tmentionClean and Soberin his answer, but he said he instantly knew that Keaton had what it took to be Batman:
“I love Michael because he has a certain energy. That’s why I wanted him to be in Batman, because you just look in his eyes, and he seems intelligent, scary, crazy, everything all at once.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuicereleases in theaters on July 27, 2025. Check out the latest trailer below:
