AceShowbiz - Tim Burton pioneered the comic book blockbuster early in his career, directing Michael Keaton in both "Batman" and "Batman Returns" for Warner Bros. However, the filmmaker reveals he's not interested in returning to the superhero genre in today's industry, which is heavily focused on long-term continuity and cinematic universes.

"At the moment, I would say no," Burton tells Variety in a new interview. "I come at things from different points of view, so I would never say never to anything. But, at the moment, it's not something I'd be interested in."

Burton cherished a level of creative freedom during the 1988 production of "Batman" in England, which faced relatively modest studio supervision. "I was lucky because at that time, the word 'franchise' didn't exist," Burton says. " 'Batman' felt slightly experimental at the time. … We really just got to focus on the film and not really think about those things that now they think about even before you do it."

Burton also shared his initial lack of interest in a sequel to the original "Batman" but was drawn to the villains of the Penguin and Catwoman. He noted how he became reenergized by the project, leading to "Batman Returns” in 1992. However, that enthusiasm waned when the studio began focusing more on franchising, prompting Burton to step away from future superhero projects.

Beyond the "Batman" series, Burton was developing a "Superman" film with Nicolas Cage, but it never came to fruition. Reflecting on the abandoned project, Burton said, "There's always this 'Jason and the Argonauts'-style journey that everyone goes through to get a movie made. ... I just try to focus on things that I feel strongly about and get rid of all the noise surrounding them."

After directing Disney's 2019 live-action reimagining of "Dumbo," Burton found himself at a crossroads. "Honestly, after Dumbo I really didn't know. I thought that could have been it, really," he confides. Burton's career revival can be attributed to the Netflix series "Wednesday" and his upcoming sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice."

"This did reenergize me," Burton adds. "Oftentimes, when you get into Hollywood, you try to be responsible to what you're doing with the budget and everything else but sometimes you might lose yourself a little bit. This reinforced the feeling for me that it's important that I do what I want to do, because then everybody will benefit."

The break during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed Burton to reconnect with his creative instincts. "It felt like there was a change around the time of COVID... I just worked on my own feelings and things. Then Wednesday came along. That reconnected me to making things," he explained.

Burton's 20th feature film, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," is set to hit theaters on September 6, representing not just a return to the big screen but a reinvigoration of his storied career.