While Michael Keaton was initially a divisive choice to play Bruce Wayne, he turned out to be excellent in the role in Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns. For many fans of the character, the news that Keaton will reprise his take on Batman in the upcoming Flash movie is a welcome surprise, but it's also good news because his portrayal of the character came to an abrupt end after only two outings. Val Kilmer took over the role in Batman Forever, but also departed after just one film and was replaced in a fourth movie by George Clooney.

Although many actors leave their famous roles for financial reasons, Keaton decided to part ways with the cape and cowl due to the creative direction the project was taking. It came down to the decisions made by the controversial director chosen to replace Burton: Joel Schumacher.

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Batman Michael Keaton

After Batman Returns, Tim Burton stepped down from directorial duties due to fans' displeasure with the movie's dark plotline and its disappointing box office. Joel Schumacher was hired to replace him, and while Keaton was initially excited to be working with the director, his enthusiasm soon waned.

Back in 2017, Michael Keaton stated that the script for Batman Forever "sucked." He also clashed with Schumacher over his overall vision for the character and world of Batman. Keaton said, "I knew it was in trouble when [Schumacher] said, ‘Why does everything have to be so dark?'" Schumacher made the decision to base the film's tone less on the increasingly dark and gritty atmosphere of the comics, like Burton's entries in the franchise, and more on the comedic camp of the 1960s television series starring Adam West.

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In another 2017 interview, Keaton expanded on his original criticism, blaming how the film turned out on the 1990s' tendency toward excess, noting:

"[The film] just wasn’t any good, man. I tried to be patient, but after a certain point, I was like, I can’t take this anymore, this is going to be horrible. But, look, there was some really horrible taste in the '90s, and I probably contributed to that, unfortunately. It was a time of nouveau riche excess [...]. And I thought, I’m in this job for the long run, I don’t want this. And the truth is, I’m not boasting, but I was correct. There are a whole load of people who ran things that are long gone."

Ultimately, Schumacher cast Kilmer to replace Keaton, because he was impressed by Kilmer's performance in the film Tombstone. However, the tonal and aesthetic whiplash from Burton's gothic sensibilities to Schumacher's candy-colored funhouse resulted in mixed reviews for Batman Forever and flat-out derision for the next Schumacher entry, Batman and Robin. To be fair, though, Schumacher's original cut of the film apparently included some darker themes and gothic imagery that simply didn't make it into the final cut.

Thanks to Keaton's nuanced, more subtle approach to Batman, his portrayal is still considered one of the very best interpretations of the character. Because of that, seeing him reprise the role again in The Flash will be a special experience for fans.

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