Much to the dismay of DC fans everywhere, Warner Bros. pushed back The Flash by another six months this week, meaning the Scarlet Speedster’s first solo movie will no longer be arriving in 2022. At this point, we’ve lost count of how many times the film has been delayed, as its been stuck in development hell for years. However, while it’s a bummer that we won’t be seeing it this year, after all, The Flash‘s new release date is actually perfect as it makes Michael Keaton’s return as Batman all the more meaningful.
The Flash was previously due out on November 4, 2022 but has now been shifted back until summer 2023 — June 23, 2023, to be precise. This means that the Ezra Miller vehicle will be arriving on the big screen exactly 34 years after Keaton made his debut as the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s first Batman film, which had its premiere on June 23, 1989. Hopefully, there won’t be any further hold-ups to its release as that date seems like it was meant to be.
Keaton last donned the cape and cowl way back in 1992’s Batman Returns, but he’ll be making his long-awaited comeback to the DC universe in The Flash, thanks to Miller’s Barry Allen accidentally screwing up the timeline and merging the DCEU’s continuity with the Burtonverse. And, by the looks of it, this new blended universe will remain canon going forward, as Keaton is confirmed to follow up The Flash with a role in Batgirl, too, meaning that he is now the DCEU’s resident Batman, taking over the gig from Ben Affleck, who likewise appears in The Flash.
Oddly enough, Batgirl is still pegged to hit HBO Max in late 2022, even though it presumably takes place after The Flash in the timeline. While that will create some hiccups with the DCEU narrative, then, it can’t be denied that the multiversal movie’s June 2023 release date is the best one for it.
