Michael Keaton Is Refreshingly Candid About the Shelving of 'Batgirl'

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 20, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 20, 2024 |

Seeing famous actors and actresses as people is important. It makes them seem more relatable (obviously) even though they usually aren’t. What they have seems more achievable despite the fact that it can be quite challenging (and based a great deal on how lucky you are). Big stars need you to think that they’re one of yous! However, humanization can lead to some misunderstandings.

There’s this idea, among some fans, that stars care deeply about everything they do, especially if it’s something the fans in question care about deeply themselves. They assume that if an actor signs on to do the seventh entry in the Stabbening franchise, it means they have been clamoring to be butchered by Tractor Hands their whole lives. Sometimes, that is the case. Plenty of actors have achieved dream roles in franchises. Others probably lie and say they did. Michael Keaton ain’t putting on airs about any of it.

To be fair, Keaton’s franchise bonafides exist in a kind of rare air. While three other men had donned the cape and cowl before him, Keaton’s turn as Batman was the most successful at that point (and might still be, depending on your terms). The character will follow him forever. Still, he’s not pretending that it’s anything more than business. Keaton recently returned to the Caped Crusader more than thirty years after he last played the character.

Keaton appeared as Batman in the multi-level disaster that was The Flash. The film was to set up his returning presence in the DCU. He ended up shooting scenes for Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom and Batgirl as well. Neither performance would see the light of day and likely never will. He was replaced by Ben Affleck on Aquaman (whose scenes were then cut) and Batgirl was shelved entirely for tax purposes by Warner Brothers Discovery’s Very Bad No Good Cartoonishly Inept CEO.

Do you know who isn’t losing sleep over the cancellation? Michael Keaton. The actor recently spoke to GQ and was blunt about his feelings toward the shelving of the film. When asked if he was upset, he said, “No, I didn’t care one way or another,” he explained to the outlet. He then continued, rubbed his fingers together, and said, “Big, fun, nice check.” It makes sense. A lot of people care (too) much about how Batman is represented on screen. For Keaton, it is just a paycheck.

He did acknowledge that other people cared, though. The actor took a moment to give props to directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, saying, “I like those boys. They’re nice guys.” He continued, saying, “I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad.” While Keaton feels bad for Adil & Bilall, he quickly clarified that he’s fine. “Me? I’m good.” Sure sounds like it.