When Batman was released in 1989, it changed the game for superheroes. However, it was also a very unique movie and one which could have only been made by a filmmaker like Tim Burton.
Talking to Variety about the upcoming release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton reflected on making Batman and how the perception of the comic book movie genre at the time freed him from studio pressure or interference.
"I was lucky because at that time, the word 'franchise' didn’t exist," the director said. "So 'Batman' felt slightly experimental at the time. It deviated from what the perception [of a superhero movie] might be. So you didn’t hear that kind of studio feedback, and being in England, it was even further removed."
"We really just got to focus on the film and not really think about those things that now they think about even before you do it," Burton continued. "I never felt like I was misusing company funds with studios, if you know what I mean. But it also just felt kind of pure because I wasn’t really a proper filmmaker, so I just did things that I felt was me. It felt like that’s why they wanted me."
After the massive success of Batman, Burton was granted even more freedom with 1992's Batman Returns...until he wasn't.
"I wasn’t really interested in doing a sequel, but I liked Penguin and Catwoman so I got reenergized by the whole thing," he explained. "And that was when we started hearing the word franchise and where the studio started going, 'What’s the black stuff coming out of the Penguin’s mouth?' It was the first time the cold wind of that kind of thing came upon me."
Studio interference also played a role in why his and Nicolas Cage's Superman Lives never came to fruition. Admitting it's "quite traumatic" to work on a movie that doesn't happen, Burton added, "I just try to focus on things that I feel strongly about and get rid of all the noise surrounding them."
Following his return to make a Beetlejuice sequel, the trade wondered whether Burton would tackle another superhero project. "At the moment, I would say no," he confirmed. "Like I said, I come at things from different points of view, so I would never say never to anything. But, at the moment, it’s not something I’d be interested in."
The Flash offered a glimpse at Cage's Superman; unfortunately, it was a nightmare-inducing CG creation which the actor has since disowned. Burton also had no involvement with Michael Keaton's brief return as Batman in the DCEU.
Would you like to see the legendary filmmaker step behind the camera for another superhero movie?