For fans of Barry Allen, this summer’s The Flash is somewhat bittersweet. This will be the first-ever Flash solo movie, though he’ll be forced to share a very crowded limelight with both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmen, Sasha Calle’s Supergirl and Michael Shannon’s Zod.
Perhaps inevitably, the main marketing thrust has been around Michael Keaton returning to the Batsuit for the first time in three decades. But did Warner Bros. bring back the wrong Dark Knight? A fan on DC_Cinematic has gone to bat (sorry) for Val Kilmer, who played Batman in 1995’s Batman Forever:
Unfortunately, even if Warner Bros. wanted Val Kilmer back, it’s not going to happen. Since 2015 the actor has battled throat cancer, with a procedure on his trachea severely damaging his vocal cords. Despite all that he recently appeared in Top Gun: Maverick, though in an echo of reality, Iceman was revealed to be suffering from cancer and speaking was clearly very painful for him.
Kilmer revealed in 2020 that he was cancer-free, though his treatment has clearly taken a toll on him. All that said, if they really wanted Kilmer’s Batman back, there is a route. London-based company Sonantic has worked with Kilmer to digitally recreate his voice using AI, so perhaps with that and a digital double we could once again see some version of the Batman Forever hero back in action.
But for now, let’s just appreciate that Michael Keaton’s The Flash comeback is hitting all the right notes.
Published: May 5, 2023 09:55 am