"He changed everything" - Michael Keaton regards Tim Burton's Batman as the inspiration behind every other superhero movie

Michael Keaton has credited Tim Burton for Hollywood's love for superhero movies. Keaton helped present Tim Burton, maker of popular superhero movies like Batman, Beetlejuice, and Edward Scissorhands, with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 3, 2024, giving credit to Burton during the event.

Keaton noted Hollywood has been able to make loads of money after Keaton started the trend of superhero movies with 1989's Batman starring Keaton himself. The duo returned to the screens with Batman Returns in 1992. While talking about their collaboration, Michael Keaton mentioned,

"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 will never understand this why anyone cared."

Keaton recalled not understanding why people made such a big deal out of the movie. He mentioned that the reaction was intense, and the press went crazy. However, Tim Burton stood by him.

Keaton also added,

"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."

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Michael Keaton says Tim Burton influenced Marvel

This isn't the first time Michael Keaton has acknowledged Tim Burton's role in starting the trend of superhero movies in Hollywood. During a conversation with GQ in August 2024, Keaton allegedly implied that there would not have been a Marvel Universe or a DC Universe without Tim Burton.

When Batman initially came out in 1989, Keaton was met with disapproval from the audience and press for taking the role in the film. Over 50,000 comic book fans staged protests against Warner Bros.

While speaking to GQ, Burton praised Keaton's role in the film, saying, "he has a certain energy," which is why he "wanted him to be in Batman." Tim Burton said that if one looks into Keaton's eyes, they would find him intelligent, scary, and crazy all at once.

Tim Burton and Michael Keaton are all set to mark their return as the superhero movie duo with Beetlejuice 2, scheduled to release on September 6, 2024. Beetlejuice 2 is a sequel to Beetlejuice (1988) and will revisit familiar characters from the first film along with new faces and twists to the storyline.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly on making a sequel 30 years after Beetlejuice's initial release, Burton said he was surprised to witness how quickly Keaton could snap back into the character.

"He just got back into it. It was kind of scary for somebody who was maybe not that overly interested in doing it. It was such a beautiful thing for me to see all the cast, but he, sort of like demon possession, just went right back into it."

While Michael Keaton reprises his iconic role as Betelgeuse, Winona Ryder will return as Lydia Deetz. Catherine O'Hara will be taking on the role of Delia Deetz, while Jenna Ortega plays Astrid Deetz.