Michael Keaton said he turned down Forever because the script sucked. Relevant?

[Wayne49]

I always got the impression Keaton didn't like the direction the franchise was going (even with Returns) because Batman was getting phased out as the central character. Oddly Forever brings much more of the focus back on Wayne in a variety of key scenes. I guess actors will always have their reasons for turning work down, but they're the only ones who have to live without that payday, so like most opinions, it matters little to me. Even though I'm completely fine with the tonal change in Forever, I can understand from an objective point of view why Keaton walked away.

For me the only place where I think opinions grate on me a bit are when the actors take the payday, then piss on the project after the fact, if it doesn't stroke their egos properly in the public. Keaton walked away from a huge (and easy) payday because he didn't like the script. I can disagree with his opinion, but I can respect his decision because he walked the talk. People like Clooney, I don't respect his constant poking at B&R because he took the check and benefited wildly from the film financially to fund other projects he wanted to do.

It's embarrassing to see how he knew nothing about Batman or could differentiate between Marvel or DC properties when asked if he grew up loving these heroes and blatantly lied to demonstrate some kind of shallow loyalty to the project. He knew nothing about the character and so he brought nothing of himself to that role. He was an opportunist and got tapped for an easy payday. He took the money and now shames everyone involved even though he personally benefited from it. He even said as much early on but has since changed that position because he thinks people have forgotten what he originally said. Those opinions bother me because they don't come from an honest position. If B&R had been a huge hit, he would tow the company line on the project because it would inflate his importance. But since it didn't, he just adopted the popular opinion and tries to distance himself from it.

So when it comes to opinions I can respect Keaton for not liking a project he walked away from better than someone like Clooney who read the script, took the check, and tries to revise his position as a unwitting participant without owning any responsibility for choosing to take the role. Even Schumacher had the backbone and balls to say he knew exactly what they (the studio) were asking him to do. Clooney has not.

[riddler]

Look at all the unfair heat Keaton drew from being cast in 1988 based on unfair and outright false criticisms over how his presence implied he'd be playing an Adam West comedic Batman. Keaton likely saw that the series was headed back in that direction, especially with the very first exchange of dialogue being Alfred offering a sandwich and Batman's first line being "I'll get drive thru"."

I like Batman Forever, I own it on Blu Ray and as awesome as it would be to have Keats play the role one more time, he will forever have my respect for turning down a project he didn't believe in.

It is great to see him embrace the character again especially during the Spider-man Homecoming promotion. I agree that I don't like when actors criticize films after they'd been released because I often find myself remarking "I bet they liked the paycheque that came with it".

[Wayne49]

Look at all the unfair heat Keaton drew from being cast in 1988 based on unfair and outright false criticisms over how his presence implied he'd be playing an Adam West comedic Batman. Keaton likely saw that the series was headed back in that direction, especially with the very first exchange of dialogue being Alfred offering a sandwich and Batman's first line being "I'll get drive thru"."

I like Batman Forever, I own it on Blu Ray and as awesome as it would be to have Keats play the role one more time, he will forever have my respect for turning down a project he didn't believe in.

It is great to see him embrace the character again especially during the Spider-man Homecoming promotion. I agree that I don't like when actors criticize films after they'd been released because I often find myself remarking "I bet they liked the paycheque that came with it".

Well said. Yeah, I think Clooney really embarrasses himself when he jokes about this movie because, to me, it's very self-serving. He just tries to distance himself by making fun of the project and everyone involved which I think is a travesty in the industry. I'm sure all of the model makers and designers who slaved over this project would like to have his paycheck since he feels such "shame" for the project. It's the sixth highest grossing film in his career (out of 36 movies) and he doesn't think he benefited? He's delusional.

Keaton is very upfront and embraces his work. How they work out in the public doesn't seem to be something he considers when he makes a final analysis of those films. He comes across as very down to earth and authentic in his point of view. I don't get the impression he is catering to anyone like Clooney.

[riddler]

Look at all the unfair heat Keaton drew from being cast in 1988 based on unfair and outright false criticisms over how his presence implied he'd be playing an Adam West comedic Batman. Keaton likely saw that the series was headed back in that direction, especially with the very first exchange of dialogue being Alfred offering a sandwich and Batman's first line being "I'll get drive thru"."

I like Batman Forever, I own it on Blu Ray and as awesome as it would be to have Keats play the role one more time, he will forever have my respect for turning down a project he didn't believe in.

It is great to see him embrace the character again especially during the Spider-man Homecoming promotion. I agree that I don't like when actors criticize films after they'd been released because I often find myself remarking "I bet they liked the paycheque that came with it".

Well said. Yeah, I think Clooney really embarrasses himself when he jokes about this movie because, to me, it's very self-serving. He just tries to distance himself by making fun of the project and everyone involved which I think is a travesty in the industry. I'm sure all of the model makers and designers who slaved over this project would like to have his paycheck since he feels such "shame" for the project. It's the sixth highest grossing film in his career (out of 36 movies) and he doesn't think he benefited? He's delusional.

Keaton is very upfront and embraces his work. How they work out in the public doesn't seem to be something he considers when he makes a final analysis of those films. He comes across as very down to earth and authentic in his point of view. I don't get the impression he is catering to anyone like Clooney.

Keaton and Burton easily could have pointed and laughed at WB especially after Batman and Robin but they didn't, they stayed humble and classy and gave their successors their chance at the character. In the last 20 years, you can find quotes here and there from them which is understandable because the questions get asked all the time about what exactly went on in 1993-94 in the Warner Brothers lot but they both keep vague enough to avoid insulting Schumacher, Kilmer, and Clooney or pointing fingers at anyone for that manner.

The thing that bugs me about Clooney and Schumacher is that they spoke very differently about Batman after leaving the franchise vs. when they were still attached. They both spoke highly of Batman and Robin when they were promoting it and had a fifth film in the hopper. It doesn't seem like nearly as much was changed from the original script to the final film compared to the first three Batman films. I don't buy for a second that things didn't go as planned (Batman Forever is a different story), Clooney shouldn't have accepted the script if he thought it was so bad and if he didn't figure that out from the script, that's on him. I don't mind Clooney as a person or even an actor but he comes across as a jerk every time he speaks badly about Batman considering he pulled in 10 million and didn't even give us a full effort.