Michael Keaton has broken his silence on the decision to cancel the $100 million blockbuster Batgirl, in which he reprised his role as Batman.
Keaton, 72, who starred as the superhero in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, where she donned the Batman suit again for Batgirl. which was shelved in 2022 by the studio for cost-cutting reasons after costing $100 million.
The star said he wasn’t upset about the firing, saying, “I didn’t care one way or the other. A big, fun, nice check,” he told the outlet while rubbing his fingers together in the universal gesture for money.
The Mr. Mom actor added that he felt bad for the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
“I support them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt really bad, and that made me feel bad. Me? I’m fine.”
Michael Keaton has broken his silence on the decision to cancel the $100 million blockbuster Batgirl, in which he reprised his role as Batman, pictured in 2024.
Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace, was shelved in 2022 by the studio for cost-cutting reasons after costing $100 million.
Batgirl was first greenlit in 2021 as part of a company-wide effort to create feature films specifically for HBO Max.
It would have starred Latina actress Leslie Grace in the lead role as she battled Firefly (Brendan Fraser), who turned to crime after being fired from his job, losing his health insurance and no longer able to care for his sick wife.
A Warner Bros spokesperson said: ‘The decision not to launch Batgirl reflects the strategic shift in our leadership as it relates to the DC Universe and HBO Max.
“Leslie Grace is an incredibly talented actress and this decision is in no way a reflection on her performance. We are incredibly grateful to the filmmakers of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt and their respective casts and look forward to collaborating with everyone again in the near future.”
According to those who saw the now-cancelled film, Keaton’s Batman only appeared in a few scenes, did not serve as a mentor to Barbara Gordon (Grace), and the costumes were subpar.
“I will say that I’m not surprised they cancelled Batgirl, as it features a woke Latina Batgirl and Barbara Gordon in a story that sounds absolutely horrible,” Matt McGloin wrote for Cosmic Book News.
The actor now focuses on his demented demonic antihero Beetlejuice.
The long-awaited sequel to the 1988 film hits theaters in September and the hype machine is in full swing.
Winona Ryder returns as Lydia Deetz, but now she’s the mother of Astrid Deetz (Jenna Ortega), who has her own relationship with the demon in the pinstripe suit.
Catherine O’Hara returns as Delia Deetz, while Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito and Justin Theroux join the cast of the sequel.
Of Beetlejuice, Keaton said, “It’s a thing. It’s more of a thing than a he or a she, it’s more of an it.”
Keaton, 72, starred as the superhero in 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns.
A Warner Bros spokesperson said: ‘The decision not to launch Batgirl reflects the strategic shift in our leadership as it relates to the DC Universe and HBO Max.
The Mr. Mom actor added that he felt bad for the film’s directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.
“And I’m not saying this to be politically correct,” he said.
“I saw it as a force more than anything else. I mean, there’s definitely a strong masculine energy, like a stupid masculine energy, that I love,” Keaton explained.
“You don’t want to touch that because it’s not like saying, ‘Well, it’s a new year and this thing would act like this now.'”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice hits theaters September 6.