Michael Keaton says that he let Tim Burton down in one of their movies together: "I was clueless… I sucked"

Michael Keaton may be re-teaming with frequent collaborator Tim Burton for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but it's brought up some bad memories for the former Batman actor.

"I love working with Tim so much, but I don't think we ever really analyzed why we work pretty well together; we just do," Keaton told The New York Times, before revealing his decidedly low opinion of his own work on 2019's Dumbo, a remake of the 1941 Disney animated classic. 

"I think I let him down on one movie, but that's just me, and it bugs me to this day. I was clueless on Dumbo. I sucked in Dumbo."

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In response, Burton immediately disagreed. The director – who worked with Keaton on the original Beetlejuice, plus two Batman movies – said, "I don't even know what you're talking about, but whatever."

In the 2019 movie, Keaton played V.A. Vandevere, the scrupulous circus owner who exploited Dumbo to his own ends in the live-action feature.

Dumbo was only a moderate success at the box office, grossing $353 million from a $170 million. Critics were also lukewarm, with it garnering a 46% rating on reviews aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

For his part, Burton had his own issues with the 2019 remake. Speaking at the Lumiere Festival in 2022 (H/T Deadline), he said, "The thing about Dumbo, is that's why I think my days with Disney are done, I realized that I was Dumbo, that I was working in this horrible big circus and I needed to escape. That movie is quite autobiographical at a certain level."

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, starring Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, and Catherine O'Hara, is set to hit cinemas on September 6, 2024. 

For more, check out the latest on the new Disney movies and upcoming movies heading your way soon.