The Michael Keaton starrer Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns remain forever iconic thanks to their different take on the mythos and Keaton’s unique portrayal of Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader. Released in the late 1980s and later, both movies have served as an inspiration for a plethora of future projects, and their popularity even led Keaton to reprise his role in the recently released The Flash.
While fans and critics praise the movies, the screenwriter of Batman Returns, Daniel Waters isn’t himself fond of the first one. And Keaton, in the true essence of his Bruce Wayne role was unable to stand Waters disrespecting the 1989 Burton’s classic with his script.
When Michael Keaton Stood Up For Tim Burton’s Batman
Michael Keaton‘s portrayal of Batman is one of the best regarded in the history of DC movies and Tim Burton‘s creative vision and gothic portrayal have now made the 1989 released Batman a cult classic for comic book fans. So to hear that the screenwriter of its sequel, Daniel Waters was not fond of the original is a bit of a shocker, to say the least.
While speaking at the screening of Batman Returns at the Egyptian Theatre, in Los Angeles, Waters revealed that he felt the first movie ‘sucks’. Hence while drafting the script for its sequel, Batman Returns, Waters got creative and wrote multiple digs about the exploitative merchandising during the film.
However, Keaton, who got a hold of what Waters was trying to do, had the tidbits removed from the sequel entirely, as the screenwriter recalled (via IndieWire),
“[Michael] Keaton said, ‘This is very clever. Cut it.'”
While fans would love to see the original script someday, there is no doubt that both movies are among the most well-regarded DC films, despite Waters and Burton having limited knowledge about the lore.
Also Read: Michael Keaton Didn’t Just Struggle With Claustrophobia While Wearing the Batman Suit
Tim Burton And Daniel Waters Had Limited Knowledge About DC
Both Tim Burton and Daniel Waters had limited knowledge about the DC mythos while they were creating Batman Returns. Hence, many fans and critics felt that the movie, despite its esteemed status now, was lacking and seemed loosely based on the original tale.
“It was a weird assignment in that I didn’t need to please anyone but Tim Burton. Before the internet, you didn’t have to go before a tribunal and say what you were doing — it was just two guys in a room riffing. We didn’t know sh*t about Batman villains. We didn’t really understand the whole comic book thing. I just found out DC Comics stands for Detective Comics.”
Stated Waters while speaking at the Egyptian Theatre. He then stated that while they were criticized for going off-road back then, fans now love the movie and others for their new take on the mythos.
Batman and Batman Returns can be rented on Amazon Prime.
