Batman Beyond Creator Approves Of Michael Keaton As The Veteran Bruce Wayne

When Ben Affleck was first cast as the DCEU’s Batman, we were told that this would be the first time we’d see a grizzled veteran take on the Caped Crusader, one who had already been patrolling the streets of Gotham for decades. That certainly turned out to be true, with the actor bringing the requisite world-weariness to the part, but now Warner Bros.’ shared universe appears intent to skew even older.

DC Films president Walter Hamada recently confirmed that the idea was to move forward with two distinctly different Batman franchises, with one of them being spearheaded by Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson. This led many to believe that an official confirmation of Affleck’s continued involvement as the Dark Knight was imminent, before things took a left turn.

Having been announced for The Flash, reports indicated that the returning Michael Keaton would be the DCEU’s canonical Caped Crusader, despite Tim Burton’s Bruce Wayne turning 70 years old this year. Inevitably, this has only increased the speculation that fans could finally be getting the live-action Batman Beyond they’ve always been desperate to see, with a younger star suiting up as Terry McGinnis.

Co-creator Paul Dini admitted that the concept was ready-made for live-action, and in a new interview, his regular collaborator Bruce Timm revealed that he definitely approves of Keaton playing the retired and reclusive version of Bruce Wayne.

“Honestly, I think the idea of Michael Keaton doing it is cool. Honestly, he looks a little too good. I know he’s probably in his mid-60s now, but he looks pretty damn good for being over 60. I like my old Bruce Wayne to be like really old. But, who knows? It could certainly still work. He looks like he could kick most guys’ asses.”

Keaton might be looking great for his age, but he’s definitely in the right bracket for Batman Beyond. A decade or so ago, there were rumors making the rounds that Clint Eastwood was wanted for the role, and while the 90 year-old screen legend probably fits Timm’s extra-crinkled vision, nobody’s going to turn down seeing the original big screen Dark Knight back on familiar turf.