We learned earlier this summer thatMichael Keatonwould be reprising his role as Batman in DC’s highly anticipated upcomingThe Flashmovie, but now we have confirmation that it’ll be more than a cameo.
Warner Bros. has been developing aFlashmovie for years now, and has gone through four different directors, but it finally appears as though this thing is actually, truly going to happen. Fresh off the success of New Line Cinema’sItmovies, directorAndy Muschiettiis onboard to take the helm with a screenplay byChristina Hodson(Birds of Prey) and a release date set for June 2022. And that screenplay adapts theFlashpointcomics storyline to findEzra Miller’s Flash entering the multiverse, in which he comes across multiple Batmen from different universes.
One of those is Michael Keaton’s Batman, who made his triumphant debut in the blockbuster 1989 filmBatman. As directed byTim Burton, that film put an art deco twist on the DC Comics world ofBatmanwhile also introducing audiences to a much darker Caped Crusader thanAdam West’s previous iteration. Keaton reprised the role in the Burton-directed sequelBatman Returns, which was released in 1992 and is arguably a better, more “fully Tim Burton” movie than the first. Burton wasn’t asked back for a third movie due to WB’s discomfort with how darkBatman Returnsgot, and while Keaton was originally supposed to play Batman again for directorJoel Schumacherin an adaptation ofBatman: Year One, Warner Bros. rejected the idea of a prequel and Keaton bowed out.
This will mark Keaton’s first time playing Batman since that 1992 film, and the big question on my mind is if Muschietti will recreate the world of Tim Burton’sBatmanmovies as well if The Flash is visiting the universe in which Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is Batman. Speaking withVanity Fair, Muschietti said Keaton’s role is a “substantial” part and went on to explain how hisFlashmovie brings together all the disparate DC Comics adaptations:
“This movie is a bit of a hinge in the sense that it presents a story that implies a unified universe where all the cinematic iterations that we’ve seen before are valid,” Muschietti said. “It’s inclusive in the sense that it is saying all that you’ve seen exists, and everything that youwillsee exists, in the same unified multiverse.”
In addition to the size of Keaton’s role, Vanity Fair broke the news thatBen Affleckwill be reprising his role as Batman fromZack Snyder’sBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandJustice Leaguemovies. Affleck was originally supposed to lead and direct his own Batman spinoff, but grew fatigued with the role as both films were beset by second-guessing from the studio that made their productions and releases difficult.
We’ll no doubt learn more about this newThe Flashmovie during the film’sDC Fandomepanel this Saturday, August 22nd. For a full list of upcoming DC movies,click here.
