The Michael Keaton renaissance has been underway for a few years already, but even the actor’s staunchest supporters would never have guessed that it would culminate in the veteran star slipping back into the cape and cowl of Batman to play the iconic superhero for the first time in three decades, but that’s one of the most exciting things the multiverse has to offer the comic book genre.
While the 69 year-old has been working solidly for his entire career, it can’t be denied that his fortunes have experienced a significant uptick since he landed an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman in 2015. He followed that up with a key supporting role in Best Picture winner Spotlight, drew even more acclaim for The Founder, played a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and stole all of his scenes in awards season favorite The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Keaton hasn’t revisited his most iconic character since 1992’s Batman Returns, but in a new interview he admitted that getting back into the Batsuit was as easy as riding a bike, and he was even over come by a rush of nostalgia.
“Like riding a bike. Oddly yes. And also, man, memories came flashing back, no pun intended, came flooding back. They did, just as I start thinking about what a risk Tim took and everybody else involved, really.”
With another turn as Homecoming‘s Adrian Toomes coming in next year’s Morbius, biographical drama Worth and high concept action thriller The Protégé all coming in the next few months, Michael Keaton simply cannot be stopped. He’s currently shooting The Flash as we speak, and while you can guarantee the production is going to hold off on the big reveal of showing him in full costume for as long as possible, seeing him back as Batman will send the internet into a state of absolute meltdown when it happens.
