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Michael Keaton takes on another hitman role in his new directorial venture,Knox Goes Away. Keaton played a hitman in his directorial debut,The Merry Gentleman, in 2008. TheBatmanactor revealed that he wouldn’t have taken on the script by Gregory Poirier if he thought the film would not hold up. For Keaton, the film was like a game of Jenga, where every piece had to work for the movie to work.
Knox Goes Awayalso stars Al Pacino, James Marsden, Marcia Gay Harden, Suzy Nakamura, and John Hoogenakker among others. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on August 20, 2025.
Michael Keaton Had One Condition For Working OnKnox Goes Away
Michael Keaton‘s new thriller,Knox Goes Away, is set to hit theaters in the U.S. this week. The film’s two stars, Keaton andJames Marsden, appeared in a Zoom interview with JoBlo Celebrity Interview. Keaton and Marsden play father and son in this film and theSpider-Man: Homecomingactor opened up about agreeing to direct and star in the film.
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Keaton shared that saying yes to the film took some time as he had to make sure that the story on paper held together. He confirmed it multiple times with the film’s writer Gregory Poirier. Poirier is known for his works on the filmsNational Treasure: Book of SecretsandThe Spy Next Door. Keaton described the film as a“Jenga movie”since it was very much like the game where removing one piece from the story results in the story falling apart.
Once Keaton’s condition about a story that held up was met, he joined the film but the job never became easier. He revealed that he made the film hoping that everything, including the little twist, would finally work in the end. TheBeetlejuiceactor shared withJoBlo Celebrity Interview:
“It took me a while to say yes because there’s no sense in trying something if you don’t think you can really pull this off. I’d go through it with the writer and go through it again and say, ‘Does this hold up?’. Because I described it as a ‘Jenga movie’. If one piece doesn’t work, the movie doesn’t work. You may as well not shoot it. You can’t shoot it. I hope mostly that it’s all making sense and it will work in the end. You know the little twist and all the things like that will work in the end.”
Keaton also added that he was not sure he would make such a film again. While playing a character with dementia, he was often riddled with self-doubt. Keaton continued:
“Thinking back, I go, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I do this again.’ Because you know you had to play dementia but not all the time and then you had to in the back of your head say, ‘Is this working and does the story make sense?’.”
The film currently has a 50% score onRotten Tomatoesscore from the critical reviews of its TIFF premiere. While many praised Keaton’s style of filmmaking, others felt that the film lacked sufficient heat for a spy thriller. Some critics also shared that Marsden was miscast in the role.
What Is Michael Keaton’sKnox Goes AwayAbout?
Michael Keaton plays a hitman, John Knox, who discovers that he has a rare form of dementia. He has to make several amends before his dementia takes over. However, his estranged son, played by Marsden, is in danger from a vengeance-fueled mistake. John Knox is helped by a trusted friend, played byAl Pacino, to race against the police and save his son before it’s too late.
In addition to his acting and directing duties, Michael Keaton also serves as a producer in the film. Saban Films handles the film’s U.S. distribution, while FilmNation Entertainment handles the international rights.
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Knox Goes Awaywill be released in the U.S. theaters on August 08, 2025.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3018
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
