Fans were understandably overjoyed when it was revealed last year that Michael Keaton would be returning to play Bruce Wayne in The Flash, 30 years after his last outing as the comic book icon in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. It hammered home the idea that anything can happen with the DCEU’s multiverse now in play, but it also raised some serious questions.
After all, DC Films president Walter Hamada confirmed a few months later that the plan is to develop and move forward with two standalone Batman franchises, one with Robert Pattinson in the lead and the other with Keaton. This took a lot of people by surprise, especially when most of the chatter had focused on Ben Affleck making a semi-permanent comeback, to the point that nobody had even considered the idea of Keaton taking top billing in a solo series despite rumors he’d signed a multi-picture contract.
Most of it boiled down to the fact that the actor turns 70 years old later this year, and with all due respect, that’s not the sort of demographic Hollywood usually turns to when it comes to finding stars to headline mega budget superhero blockbusters. However, tipster Mikey Sutton is now reporting that Keaton will only be suiting up for The Flash, and after that his future appearances will be strictly as Gotham City’s resident billionaire playboy only.
That makes a lot of sense, because The Flash is set to shake things up significantly for the DCEU in a post-Snyder Cut world, and it ties back to what we’ve heard previously about Keaton being more of a Nick Fury figure than an active participant in world-saving shenanigans. In any case, the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut begins shooting next month, which should lead to some concrete story details arriving shortly after.
