Things Learned from Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ Commentary

Film School Rejects presents 26 Things We Learned from Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ Commentary.  Here are three of my favorites and some of my thoughts at the end…

3.  People expected him to take a goofy tone with the film, “but that was the furthest thing from my mind.” He wasn’t a big comic book fan, but he loved Batman and the psychology of the character meaning he knew he wanted to stay true to that idea.

5.  He met with numerous actors for the title role who fit the traditional “square-jawed” and heroic look, but he eventually realized “there’s a reason why a guy dresses up as a bat, he’s trying to create a menacing persona.” Michael Keaton has the crazy eyes, but physically he’s someone who would need costuming to make him seem scarier.

24.  He took older films like The Man Who Laughs (1928), vampire movies, and the work of Val Lewton as inspirations for Batman.

I wasn’t a fan of Michael Keaton being cast as Batman.  I get now why Burton went with MK after reading #5 above.