Tim Burton has explained why he has no intentions of directing another superhero film despite the success of his two Batman movies.
The 66-year-old director, who is the subject of a new exhibition, called The World of Tim Burton, in London, was one of the first directors to bring the superhero genre to the big screen, with his two movies about the “Dark Knight” fronted by Michael Keaton.
Both Batman and its sequel Batman Returns were huge box office hits, earning more than $600m (£462m) combined at the worldwide box office upon release in 1989 and 1992 respectively.
Superhero movies are currently one of the biggest topics of focus in Hollywood, with the likes of Marvel and DC producing dozens of titles across film and television every year.
When asked by the BBC if he has any desire to return to the genre, Burton quickly said “no”.
Expanding on the answer, the Edward Scissorhands director added: “It felt new at the time. There was pressure because it was a big movie and it was a different interpretation of comic books.
“So that was a pressure, but it wasn’t the pressure that you would experience now.”
Burton did sign on to make another superhero film after his two Batman movies, the ultimately unfinished Superman Lives, written by Kevin Smith and starring Nicolas Cage as the Man of Steel.
The film was in pre-production between 1996 and 1998 and was cancelled just three weeks before shooting was set to begin due to financial issues and creative differences.
Footage of Cage as Superman has since made its way onto the internet thanks to the crowdfunded documentary The Death of ‘Superman Lives’; What Happened?
A CGI version of Cage’s Superman iteration was used in 2023’s The Flash with the actor criticising the use of his likeness in the film.
Meanwhile, Burton has enjoyed one of the biggest hits of his career this year with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which defied expectations despite pallid reviews from critics largely unimpressed by the second instalment.
Its runaway success at the box office has seen it make $435m (£335m) globally.
The sequel to his 1988 classic is now his third highest grossing movie ever, just behind his adaptations of Charlie and Chocolate Factory ($475m/£366m) and Alice in Wonderland ($1.025bn/£963m).
The World of Tim Burton opens on Friday (25 October) and runs until 21 April.
