Birdman (2014)

[ElCuervoMuerto]

^While I think it would've been perfect if they nabed Bale for the role, I think Norton plus Keaton in a comedy sounds amazing. It'll also be fun to see Keaton adress the two things he's most famous for in one film (Batman and comedy)

[Furstmobile]

I wonder how much comedy this "black comedy" is going to have? All of the director's previous movies have been extremely depressing dramas.

...after the fiasco leading up to Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, I'm taking the descriptions in these press releases with a grain of salt. It's hard to imagine Galifianakis being involved with anything other than a extremely silly comedy, but given the credentials of the rest the cast I can't help but wonder about the tone of it. The press releases are now giving it the subtitle of Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.


Some questions & random thoughts about the movie that I've been thinking about based on what I've read:

-Does the Broadway play that Keaton's character is involved with have anything to do with Birdman? Is he just trying to put it together with Norton playing the lead character in the play?

-How much of his Brdman days are we going to see? Wouldn't it have to be Forrest Gump style fake movie b-roll footage, making Keaton look younger? Will Keaton ever actually physically need to don any kind of rubber Birdman costume?

-Will Birdman be able to turn his head?

-With the addition of Edward Norton, Death to Smoochy immediately comes to mind. (Directed by Oswald Cobblepot himself)

-It's too bad its being distributed by Fox and not WB. They could have more direct references like basing the Birdmobile on the Furstmobile.

[Azrael]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2333796/Michael-Keaton-appears-oblivious-birdman-steps-new-film-set.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[The Dark Knight]

That right there is the older, grizzled TDKR Batman. Looking good Keats.

[Silver Nemesis]

I like the costume. It's like a cross between the Batsuit and Hawkman's outfit. I hope we'll get to see Keaton himself don it at some point in the movie.

I'm actually quite shocked to see him performing those wirework sequences himself. The article says he's doing his own stunts, but there are strict safety measures that are meant to prevent actors from doing those types of scenes themselves. It's one thing to perform wirework stunts in a controlled studio environment in front of a green screen, but it's another thing altogether to be hoisted twenty or thirty feet into the air in the middle of Times Square. He must really be into this role.

I'm pretty sure he didn't do any wirework back when he made the Batman films. In fact, the last time I remember seeing Keaton flying around on wires like that was...

I'm still not entirely clear on the plot of Birdman. I think Keaton's character is trying to stage some "legitimate theatre" as a way of reclaiming his credibility after being typecast as a superhero. So the Broadway production probably has nothing to do with the Birdman character. But the role persists in haunting him to the point where he starts to think he really is Birdman. Something like that. And in this scene he appears to be hallucinating that Birdman is following him down the street. Either that or it's an overzealous fan dressed in his old costume. Either way, it sounds like an intriguing concept for a comedy and a fresh avenue by which to approach the tired superhero movie concept.

Subtextually, it would appear to be a satire on the damaging effect a particular role can have on an actor's career (and psyche) when they become too closely identified with that character. Sort of like when Leonard Nimoy suffered from an identity crisis over his Mr Spock character. It sounds like just the role Keaton's been waiting for all these years; one that self-consciously references his earlier work and which should allow him to indulge both his comedic and dramatic acting chops.

Here's a short video someone shot on location.

It's interesting how after years of distancing himself from the genre, Keaton's now got two superhero-themed movies coming out in 2014: RoboCop and Birdman. This could be the best one-two punch he's delivered since 1988 when he starred in Beetlejuice and Clean and Sober. And throw Need for Speed into the mix and it's almost guaranteed to be his most commercially lucrative year for quite some time.

I know many of us have been wanting Keaton to make a comeback for a while now. I thought it was going to happen after he starred in Ridley Scott's The Company back in 2007, but it didn't. Then some people were predicting it would happen when he starred in and directed The Merry Gentleman in 2008. But again, it didn't. Then a lot of people said he was making a comeback in 2010 when he played supporting roles in The Other Guys and Toy Story 3. But still, it didn't quite happen. I think if Keaton's ever going to return to the A-list, 2014 will be the year. The Birdman role sounds like it was custom made for him – a superhero-themed comedy/drama. No other actor would fit the bill as well as Keaton. And RoboCop and Need for Speed both have the potential to be box office hits. So let's keep our fingers crossed that it all goes well for him.

[The Laughing Fish]

This could either be a comedy masterpiece or a complete trainwreck (especially since it has Zach Galifaniakis involved  ).  Though if it mirrors Keaton's career post-Batman, I'd be intrigued in seeing it.

I know many of us have been wanting Keaton to make a comeback for a while now. I thought it was going to happen after he starred in Ridley Scott's The Company back in 2007, but it didn't. Then some people were predicting it would happen when he starred in and directed The Merry Gentleman in 2008. But again, it didn't. Then a lot of people said he was making a comeback in 2010 when he played supporting roles in The Other Guys and Toy Story 3. But still, it didn't quite happen. I think if Keaton's ever going to return to the A-list, 2014 will be the year. The Birdman role sounds like it was custom made for him – a superhero-themed comedy/drama. No other actor would fit the bill as well as Keaton. And RoboCop and Need for Speed both have the potential to be box office hits. So let's keep our fingers crossed that it all goes well for him.

I won't pretend I know what goes on behind closed doors in Hollywood, but for all we know that Keaton either burned bridges with some very important people, or just wanted to live a more quite life after probably being fed up of the hype that the industry creates. Maybe sometimes actors find other pursuits other than their career. For example, Peter Weller hardly ever reached A-List even after doing RoboCop, but he has interests elsewhere other than his own acting career e.g. working as a history lecturer at Syracuse University.

[ElCuervoMuerto]

^From what I can glean from interviews with him is that Keaton never really cared about being a big Hollywood movie star. His Batman fame has allowed him to live the kind of lif he want to live and have the sort of career he wants, be it ding indies like The Merry Gentleman or being in slapstick comedies like The Other Guys. More power to him I say.

[riddler]

Yeah i think it's more of a lifestyle choice than anything else; Keaton didn't want to be a Johnny Depp type.

Seems he was fine being low key. Compare that to Val Kilmer and George Clooney both of whom attempted to parlay their star power into being A list celebrities; Clooney succeeded, Kilmer failed. But Keaton never signed on as a lead in a blockbuster after Returns again and I'm sure he had opportunities.

[Silver Nemesis]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hBuTNtIwUQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNfOvCgG-_s

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU-aQ_bEsr4

More pictures and video clips here:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/nailbiter111/news/?a=80766

[Azrael]

Keaton is in really good shape for his age but, oh my, that Homer underpant...

(yes, agreed, really hope this is a sort of "comeback" for Keaton)