Michael Keaton Reckons He Was The Best Ever Batman

Who is the best Batman? Perhaps that's the sort of question you like to ponder in the pub.

Well, if Michael Keaton was one of your pub pals, there would be no debate - it's him.

The actor - who turns 70 today (Sunday 5 September) - starred as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's 1989 movie Batman, as well as sequel Batman Returns in 1992.

Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last October, he was asked the all-important question.

Kimmel asked: "Michael, who was the best Batman?"

To which the actor quickly responded: "Me."

Well, that's that then.

He went on to reveal that he's kept his Batsuit and joked that he puts it on for the odd stroll around the neighbourhood.

He told Kimmel: "I'll slip into it now and then. If I'm feeling insecure enough, I just slip into the suit - makes me feel a whole lot better.

"I'll walk around the neighbourhood a little bit.

"When things around here get a little nervous-making, I just put the suit on and boy, things straighten the f*** up."

Warner Bros

Despite what the completely unbiased Keaton thinks, in a LADbible poll last summer it was actually Christian Bale who you guys voted as the best Batman - but Keaton managed to come in a respectable second place.

Bale, who appeared in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, stormed ahead in the final, picking up almost 90 percent of the votes - 87.7 percent of the 9,420 votes cast, leaving Keaton with 12.3 percent.

In the lead-up to the final, Keaton came top in a group containing Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Olan Soule, whereas Bale topped the other semi-final featuring Adam West, Val Kilmer and Kevin Conroy.

The survey omitted Robert Pattinson, who plays the titular character in upcoming movie The Batman, due to be released next March.

Shooting wrapped this March, and alongside Pattinson we can look forward to seeing other big names such as Colin Farrell (Penguin), Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman) and Andy Serkis (Alfred).

PA

Serkis told LADbible last year that director/co-writer Matt Reeves' take on the iconic character is really exciting.

While he remained tight-lipped about it all, he admitted that the film will be more intense than others that have gone before it.

When asked whether fans were right to expect a 'darker, broodier' Batman, the Lord of The Rings star laughed: "I would say that's not far from the truth.

"It's very much about the emotional connection between Alfred and Bruce. That's really at the centre of it. And it is a really exquisite script that Matt has written."

Additional copy: Claire Reid

Topics: TV and Film, Celebrity, Batman

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey