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While DC canceling Batgirl was a shocking move, Batman actor Michael Keaton does not care.
Speaking to GQ, Keaton revealed that the cancellation did not affect him. Either way, he got paid and can move on.
“No, I didn't care one way or another,” Keaton said. “Big, fun, nice check.”
He then praised the directors of Batgirl, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Ultimately, Keaton is a fan of the Bad Boys: Ride or Die directors and is rooting for them.
“I like those boys. They're nice guys,” he said of the director duo. “I pull for them. I want them to succeed, and I think they felt very badly, and that made me feel bad.
“Me? I'm good,” he added.
Why was Batgirl canceled?
Batman is an unreleased DC movie from Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah. Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) wrote the script for the duo.
Leslie Grace was set to star in the DC movie alongside J. K. Simmons, Jacob Scipio, Brendan Fraser, Ivory Aquino, and Keaton. DC Films produced the movie, which was originally slated for an HBO Max release. It was intended to be a part of the DCEU, which has become the DCU.
In August 2022, it was reported that Warner Bros had scrapped Batgirl to cut costs. The budget for the movie was reported to be $80 million before going up to $90 million due to COVID-19 protocols (per The Hollywood Reporter).
Since then, the DCEU has become the DCU, with James Gunn and Peter Safran leading the charge. A whole new slate of actors will take over the iconic roles. David Corenswet will kick things off in Superman in the title role.
Gunn wrote and directed Superman, which is in post-production. It will mark the first feature film release in the DCU. First, the animated Max series Creature Commandos will come out.
Michael Keaton as Batman
Michael Keaton first played Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 movie. He reprised the role in the 1992 sequel Batman Returns. These movies included other heavy hitters such as Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Christopher Walken.
After Batman Returns, Keaton left the franchise. Val Kilmer and George Clooney took over the role in the next two installments of the series.
Decades later, Keaton made his return to the DC role in The Flash. Clooney also played a variant of Batman in a cameo appearance in the movie.
The Flash was Ezra Miller's first solo adventure in the former DCEU. They teamed with Keaton's Batman in a multiverse adventure directed by Andy Muschietti.
Michael Keaton was then set to reprise the role once again in Batgirl. However, now that it is scrapped, it does not appear Keaton has a clear road map to reprising the role. Maybe that is what he wants.
Outside of playing Batman, Keaton is best known for his roles in Night Shift, Beetlejuice, and Jackie Brown. In 2014, he starred in Birdman, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance.
Coming up, Keaton will reprise the role of Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara reprise their respective roles from the first movie as well. Jenna Ortega headlines the newcomers to the cast.
