Don’t ask this Batman if he’s seen any DC films.
Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster superhero film “Batman” starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader is largely credited with starting the craze of comic book movies. However, the Oscar-nominated Keaton admitted that he hasn’t actually watched one since the late ’80s.
“After the first ‘Batman,’ I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an entire [comic book] movie,” the 69-year-old told The Hollywood Reporter. “I just never got around to it. So you’re talking to a guy who wasn’t in the zeitgeist of that whole world.”
The “Birdman” star has since appeared in superhero films such as the 1992 sequel, “Batman Returns,” “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” and the upcoming flicks, “Morbius” and “The Flash.”
But despite hanging up his cape, Keaton said he knew he could portray Gotham’s Dark Knight once again — even decades later.
“Frankly, in the back of my head, I always thought, ‘I bet I could go back and nail that motherf–ker,’” Keaton continued. “And so I thought, ‘Well, now that they’re asking me, let me see if I can pull that off.”
The Pennsylvania native also explained that it took him a minute to understand that “The Flash” will take place in a parallel universe, so both his and Ben Affleck’s versions of Batman will coexist.
“What’s really interesting is how much more I got [Batman] when I went back and did him. I get this on a whole other level now. I totally respect it. I respect what people are trying to make,” he added.
“I never looked at it like, ‘Oh, this is just a silly thing.’ It was not a silly thing when I did ‘Batman.’ But it has become a giant thing, culturally. It’s iconic. So I have even more respect for it because what do I know? This is a big deal in the world to people. You’ve got to honor that and be respectful of that. Even I go, ‘Jesus, this is huge.’
He continued, “I learned a long time ago, you do more damage because you’re famous,” Keaton said. “I’ve told people, you don’t want me there. They’ll go, ‘Well of course he brought his Hollywood friend.’ You know what people forget? We all were just some person somewhere in Cincinnati or f—ing Ottawa or f—ing Cleveland.”
