{"id":621,"date":"2014-07-17T15:20:17","date_gmt":"2014-07-17T19:20:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/?p=621"},"modified":"2014-08-10T23:57:07","modified_gmt":"2014-08-11T03:57:07","slug":"will-birdman-michael-keatons-comeback-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/2014\/07\/17\/will-birdman-michael-keatons-comeback-film\/","title":{"rendered":"Will ‘Birdman’ Be Michael Keaton’s Comeback Film?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Talent isn\u2019t always recognized or appreciated. You have to know the right people, be somewhere at the right time, be on your “A” game, and impress the right crowd. Michael Keaton is still Batman for many people out there. He\u2019s an amazing talent that simply got lost in the shuffle, just like many others. He was Tim Burton\u2019s Johnny Depp before Mr. Depp came into the picture. After memorable performances in Clean and Sober<\/em>, Beetlejuic<\/em>e, Batman<\/em>, Batman Returns<\/em>, and Jackie Brown<\/em>, he kind of fell off the radar. All of a sudden, people forget about this talented actor, and the young guns rose up to take his spot.<\/p>\n

Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu<\/a>, Oscar-nominated director of Amores Perros<\/em>, Babel<\/em>, and 21 Grams<\/em>, chose Keaton for the starring role in his latest project: Birdman<\/em>. Everyone gets a second chance, and this may just be Mr. Keaton\u2019s opportunity to shine again and say \u201cya\u2019ll must\u2019ve forgot\u201d through a captivating, hilarious, and heartfelt performance that he\u2019s definitely capable of giving. Just like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang<\/em> (nope, not Iron Man<\/em>) was for Robert Downey, Jr. and The Wrestler<\/em> was for Mickey Rourke, Birdman<\/em>\u00a0 might just be the second wind for Keaton\u2019s career. If it’s not, at the very least we\u2019ll get to see him in a lead role again, lighting up the screen.<\/p>\n

Now, this isn\u2019t Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law nor is it Chris \u201cBirdman\u201d Andersen of the Miami Heat. It\u2019s a film that tells a story about a has-been actor who once played an iconic superhero, and is struggling to overcome his personal problems while trying to reignite his past glory through a performance in a Broadway play. What better actor could I\u00f1\u00e1rritu have chosen? Keaton became a star playing Bruce Wayne\/Batman, even when there were plenty of doubts as to whether he could pull it off. The results: he more than held his own against Jack Nicholson, and came back to do the sequel. He\u2019s been around since then, but he\u2019s far from being a household name. The trailer for this film just oozes a “if you don’t know me, you will” comeback feel.<\/p>\n

A dark comedy, Birdman <\/em>will be opening this year\u2019s Venice Film Festival<\/a>, <\/em>and will be competing. In addition to Michael Keaton, the film also stars Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, and Amy Ryan. It boasts a stellar cast, a fantastic director, and an amazing lead actor that appears to be hungry once again. It could be a triumph or a beautiful failure. All I can say is that I\u2019m very eager to find out.<\/p>\n

Fox Searchlight has released a teaser trailer, which you can check out below:
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