Batman is an American Academy Award-winning superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. It is the first entry in the original four-part Batman film series, the first directed by Tim Burton and the first to star Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman. It also starred Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Inspired by the original work of Finger and Kane from the late thirties and forties and also by the darker Batman comics of the 1980s (including the work of Frank Miller and Alan Moore), the film moved the franchise toward Batman's dark roots and away from the campy 1960s interpretation of the character. The movie was both a box office success and critically acclaimed by both critics and audiences.
It is often referred to as Batman 1989 or Tim Burton's Batman by fans, so as not to cause confusion with films of a similar name, such as the original 1966 film, Batman: The Movie starring Adam West and Burt Ward.