Cinema
Michael Keaton's 1989 'Batman' improvisation that made his role legendary
The Tim Burton-directed film about Gotham’s masked vigilante marks 35 years since its release.
These days mark the 35th anniversary of the release in the United States of Tim Burton’s legendary 1989 film ‘Batman,’ a now cult classic starring Michael Keaton as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Not only did it give us the darkest and most hallucinatory version of The Dark Knight in live-action to date, but its two leads gave their all to create the best possible adaptation of one of the most famous comic book characters in history. So much so that two of Batman’s best moments were improvised by both actors; which scenes are we talking about?
“I’m Batman”
As old-timers will remember, Michael Keaton was the subject of much controversy after it was announced that he would be cast as Batman in the new Dark Knight movie; Warner Bros. received hundreds of letters from fans asking that Keaton not be chosen to play Bruce Wayne, given his history in comedy films. However, everything changed with the release of the film, which remains an icon of superhero cinema to this day.
And it was thanks to his brilliant interpretation and the passion with which he lived his role, even improvising some of the most famous moments of the movie. This was the case of the famous phrase “I am Batman,” which is still very popular among fans and which the actor himself recalls whenever he can in statements or conventions. But it turns out that this phrase was not in the script, instead, it was written “I am the night” or “I am vengeance”, depending on the version.
But Michael Keaton wanted to put his personal stamp on it by saying, “I’m Batman,” and the rest is history. Although it was not the only improvisation in the movie that made it into the final cut. So much so that the scene of the Joker dancing in Vicki Vale’s (Kim Basinger) apartment was suggested by a close friend of Jack Nicholson; the actor, neither short nor lazy, started dancing in the middle of the scene, giving viewers another of the most memorable moments of 1989′s Batman.