Michael Keaton Addresses His Return As Batman In The Flash

Since first being announced in October 2014, The Flash has been mired in development hell and hit by a number of setbacks, but production on the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut is poised to begin imminently, with director Andy Muschietti making several significant additions to the cast.

Sasha Calle has signed on as Supergirl and Maribel Verdu will play Nora Allen, although Billy Crudup has dropped out of his role as Barry’s incarcerated father Henry due to scheduling conflicts, while Kiersey Clemons has once again been confirmed as Iris West after finally making her DCEU debut in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, even though it’s not actually explained who she is.

Of course, the majority of the talk has focused on The Flash‘s duelling Batmen, with both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck announced for the project last year. However, Tim Burton’s Dark Knight appeared to cast some potential doubt over his involvement in a new interview, admitting that he’s been too busy to even look at the latest draft of the script, not to mention the 69 year-old’s concerns over the Coronavirus pandemic.

“I am needing a minute to think about it because I’m so fortunate and blessed, I got so much going on now. I’m really into work right now. I don’t know why, but I am, and so, yeah, I mean, you know, to tell you the truth, somewhere on my iPad is an iteration of the whole Flash thing that I haven’t had time yet. I called them and said, ‘I have to be honest with you. I can’t look at anything right now’. I’m so deep into this thing I’m doing. Also, I’m prepping a thing I’m producing and getting ready to do down the road in the fall that I’ll be in, and I feel responsible to that.

So, yeah, there is that. I’m not being cute or coy. If I talked about Batman, I’ll be just bullsh*tting you. I don’t really know. I have to look at the last draft. I keep my eye more on the COVID situation in the UK than anything. That will determine everything, and so that’s why I’m living outside the city here on 17 acres, staying away from everybody, because the COVID thing has got me really concerned. So, that’s my first thing about all projects. I look at it and go, is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn’t, then we talk.

I’m going to see what happens here. This is going to be kind of fun. We’ll see what happens. I think it’s kind of a drag we’re talking about it, and I’m like, do you really know what the hell you’re talking about? I mean, I could bullsh*t you, but once I go, I don’t know, are we doing this or not? They say, yeah, we’re doing it. Then I go, okay, now I’m going to overthink it, but until then, I don’t want to think about it. You want to say, like Joe Pesci from My Cousin Vinny, ‘It’s a thing, but it’s not a thing’.”

Leading man Ezra Miller has it easiest out of everyone gathering for The Flash, with the actor already shooting Fantastic Beasts 3 at England’s Leavesden Studios where the superhero blockbuster is set to kick off at the end of next month, meaning it’s just a quick trip across the lot. The core creative team behind the project wouldn’t be talking up Keaton’s involvement if they weren’t confident he’d actually show up, though, so it sounds as if the key is finding a window in his schedule that allows him to head across the Atlantic to suit up for the first time in 30 years.