Why Michael Keaton says he turned down 'Batman Forever': The script 'sucked'

For many, Michael Keaton's version of Batman was the best ever to grace the big screen, even surpassing director Christopher Nolan's more recent films. So when the actor left the character before Joel Schumacher's 1995 "Batman Forever" (in which Val Kilmer took over the cape and mask), many fans were bummed.

And they were even more disappointed with what Schumacher did with the franchise, changing Tim Burton's dark and mysterious vibe from the first two movies into a wacky, Day-Glo fiasco.

Keaton certainly has no regrets about walking away. Recently on the Hollywood Reporter's podcast "Awards Chatter," he delved into some of his issues with Schumacher's movie, mainly that the script "sucked."

"I didn't understand why [Schumacher] wanted to do what he wanted to do," he said. "I knew it was in trouble when he said, 'Why does everything have to be so dark?'"

Keaton said he went through "many meetings" before finally departing the film franchise.

The actor will return to the comic-book world when he plays villain the Vulture in the upcoming "Spider-Man: Homecoming," which opens in theaters July 7.