Michael Keaton in talks to return as Batman

[The Dark Knight]

He could be substituting Affleck's DCEU role, meaning Beyond's mentor concept but applied to the entire League. It's a funny world we live in - imagine if Keaton ends up with more filmic content than Bale. I'm now seeing talk that the Jeffrey Dean Morgan Flashpoint Batman won't happen, and they'll instead go with Keaton and not have both. If we have to choose between the two it's a no brainer who I'd pick.

But wow. Just wow. This site has its origins in worshiping B89/BR, so this is the ultimate red meat for us. Details about his crimefighting career after BR, and relics and trophies in the cave...it's all on the table now if the story is true and Keaton signs up. I've said it before, but Bruce sitting in a black room brooding would be enough to send the fans wild.

If Keaton's Bruce is plucked out of his universe and placed into the DCEU, another new Gotham aesthetic (or even if they seek to replicate B89 or BR's Gotham), would have to get its most airtime in the Flashpoint movie. With Alfred, Gordon and others dead, he may be okay making that universe jump, and permanently. 

[KeatonisBatman]

Wow.  I'm gobsmacked.  This is fantastic news!

[The Dark Knight]

Wow.  I'm gobsmacked.  This is fantastic news!

Keaton not suiting up (or minimally) would contrast against Pattinson who will be.

I think that's a point of difference of why this would be allowed. It would be interesting to know, if Keaton signs up, how much creative input he'd have. In the Burton films he cut down dialogue. Mark Hamill had his reign as Luke Skywalker tarnished. I'd imagine Michael would want to be confident he's signing up to something worthwhile.

If a Beyond film gets made, it makes you wonder who directs it. Burton? Even if he doesn't, the project has to go ahead, because this opportunity is too good to pass up.

Same goes for Elfman - but his theme has to be there if he's not.

[The Laughing Fish]

Meanwhile, if we're lead to believe this screenshot and article is legitimate, then Flash producer Barbara Muschietti has all but confirmed that Ray Fisher will reprise his Cyborg role.

Source: https://fullcirclecinema.com/2020/06/19/the-flash-confirms-ray-fisher-cyborg/



Assuming if Keaton and Fisher do get cast for real, I wonder how this film would shape up? Would it still be using the same Cyborg from ZSJL, or would it be another multiverse version of the character e.g. Flashpoint, where he is the greatest superhero in a doomed planet? If Keaton were to suit up, will it really take place 27 years after BR? If so, let's hope he fares a little better than John Wesley Shipp's Flash in the Arrowverse. Whether it's cameo or otherwise.

As exciting as this rumour sounds, I prefer to wait and see if Keaton returning is really happening. If so, it would be another great coup for the DC brand. Not just Batman.

RE: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, if he's not reprising Thomas Wayne and has nothing to do with The Flash then I suppose the "masked comeback" remark was simply a New Year's Day joke.

Gus found the comedian mask. Still fits like a glove. And looks extra extra with my badass bifocals. Here's to a masked comeback in 2020.

https://twitter.com/JDMorgan/status/1212092717699866624

[Silver Nemesis]

Warner Bros is shamelessly pandering to a small subset of the Batman fanbase that are obsessed with seeing Keaton return. However, since we happen to be that small subset, it's an epic win for us. I've seen a lot of positive buzz about this across the internet, but I'd imagine it means more to our community here on Batman-Online than to any other section of the fandom.

I'm now seeing talk that the Jeffrey Dean Morgan Flashpoint Batman won't happen, and they'll instead go with Keaton and not have both. If we have to choose between the two it's a no brainer who I'd pick.

If the plot description posted on The Wrap is accurate, then it sounds like that's what's happening. Miller's Flash will cross into the Burtonverse, and then that universe will somehow merge with the DCEU so that Bat-Keaton replaces Batfleck. This means not only will we get to see Burton's Batman return, but we should get to revisit his Gotham too. They're scheduled to begin filming in London early next year. Is it possible they might dredge up some of the old 1989 sets? Perhaps return to the same forest road where the Descent into Mystery scene was filmed?

If there's one other actor from the Burtonverse they should bring back, my vote goes to Pfeiffer. I'd love to catch up with what's been happening between Bruce and Selina over the past 28 years. Perhaps Billy Dee Williams could also put in an appearance as Two-Face. Maybe we'll even get to see a Burtonverse Arkham populated by Burtonised versions of Scarecrow and Riddler. Perhaps Bat-Keaton will get to meet Cavill's Superman and Gadot's Wonder Woman further down the line. There's so much potential here.

If Bat-Keaton is taking Thomas Wayne's place in the Flashpoint storyline – and it sounds like that's what they're planning – then we might get to see him take down Reverse Flash like in the original comic. Though in light of what Bruce said to Selina at the end of Batman Returns, I'd prefer it if Bat-Keaton didn't kill from now on.

I know many people don't want Miller returning as the Flash after the recent choking incident. Personally, I've always thoughts he was badly miscast as Barry Allen anyway, so I'd be happy to see him replaced by someone else (Gosling would be perfect). But if Miller is in the film, at least we'll get to see him tortured at the hands of Bat-Keaton.

It's a funny world we live in - imagine if Keaton ends up with more filmic content than Bale.

I still remember back in the days when Keaton fans used to cite the fact he'd starred in more Batman movies than any other actor as an argument for the superiority of his interpretation. Then Bale tied his record with TDK before breaking it with TDKR. But if this goes ahead, Keaton will reclaim the record from Bale and Affleck and (hopefully) set a new one. West will retain the record for the most amount of live action screen time in the role, but Keaton will be the Batman actor who starred in the most live action movies.

Mark Hamill had his reign as Luke Skywalker tarnished. I'd imagine Michael would want to be confident he's signing up to something worthwhile.

The Luke precedent has me slightly worried.

I don't want to see Harrison Ford return as Indiana Jones. I love the original trilogy and I'm happy to leave it at that. The Last Crusade was the perfect ending. Let's not ruin it by making another. I'm also apprehensive about the new Ghostbusters. There was a time when I would have killed to see GB3, and I waited decades for it to happen. But now they've made us wait too long and the ship has sailed. I'll still go and see Afterlife, and I'm trying to be optimistic about it, but I can't honestly say I'm excited anymore. There were two childhood heroes I always wanted to see return to the big screen: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Michael Keaton as Batman. One of those already happened, and it was a disaster.

What if they do something similar with Bat-Keaton? What if they pull the same post-modernist shtick to "subvert our expectations" and have Bruce portrayed as a broken down wimp who refuses to train his successor or help the people of Gotham? What if they follow the recent trend of bringing back old heroes just to kill them off? I hope none of these things happen, but if they do we might end up wishing Keaton hadn't returned. Just like I wish Luke hadn't. That's a sobering thought.

Keaton not suiting up (or minimally) would contrast against Pattinson who will be.

I'm expecting he will suit up at some point. It might just be flashback scenes, where they have a young stunt double performing the action and digitally map Keaton's face onto his body, like they did with his stand-in on the set of Birdman. Close-up shots could be the real Keaton, but digitally de-aged using the same technology employed for the MCU flashback scenes (think Michael Douglas in Ant-Man, or Samuel L. Jackson in Captain Marvel). If they are using the Burton Batman as the Flashpoint incarnation, then I'm assuming he'll at least suit up for that film. But we'll see. I'm guessing he'll be out of costume and playing a mentor role throughout most of these films, but I'd be very surprised if there weren't at least a few scenes where we see him don the cowl once more.

If a Beyond film gets made, it makes you wonder who directs it. Burton? Even if he doesn't, the project has to go ahead, because this opportunity is too good to pass up.

Depending on how Top Gun Maverick turns out, Joseph Kosinski might be a good choice. He has a very strong visual sensibility (Oblivion) and prior experience directing cyberpunk material (Tron: Legacy). He can also handle drama well, as he demonstrated with Only the Brave.

[The Laughing Fish]

You can say I'm reading too much into this, but I've checked all the GIFs promoting the upcoming DC FanDome event on DC Comics' Twitter page. Interestingly, B89 is the only old film highlighted for this event.

https://twitter.com/DCComics/status/1273014308306182144

[Silver Nemesis]

Film journalist Umberto Gonzalez, who first broke this story, has confirmed that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will not be playing the Thomas Wayne Batman in Flashpoint. Instead Keaton will take his place, only MK will be playing an older version of the same Batman from the Burton films rather than Thomas Wayne.

[johnnygobbs]

If there's one other actor from the Burtonverse they should bring back, my vote goes to Pfeiffer. I'd love to catch up with what's been happening between Bruce and Selina over the past 28 years. Perhaps Billy Dee Williams could also put in an appearance as Two-Face. Maybe we'll even get to see a Burtonverse Arkham populated by Burtonised versions of Scarecrow and Riddler. Perhaps Bat-Keaton will get to meet Cavill's Superman and Gadot's Wonder Woman further down the line. There's so much potential here.

I don't know.  Would it be too much to ask for a cameo from Nicholas Cage as the Burtonverse Superman?  Or what about Marlon Wayans as Robin?  He's been getting paid for the part since 1992 after all.  He might as well do something to earn that keep.

As for Billy Dee Williams.  It's a shame his opportunity to play an active Two-Face went by, but I kind of like the idea that his is the one version of Harvey Dent that remained a good guy.  I'd welcome a BDW cameo but as Harvey Dent not as a 'Two-Face' simply languishing in Arkham Asylum.  BDW and his version of Harvey Dent deserve better than that.

But a Michelle Pfeiffer cameo would be the icing on the cake.

Also, in view of how sophisticated modern CGI is, I wonder if there would be an opportunity for The Flash to reserve-flash into Batman's past and help him correct some of his regrets/mistakes/tragedies, which might potentially offer room for more cameos.

[thecolorsblend]

Warner Bros is shamelessly pandering to a small subset of the Batman fanbase that are obsessed with seeing Keaton return. However, since we happen to be that small subset, it's an epic win for us. I've seen a lot of positive buzz about this across the internet, but I'd imagine it means more to our community here on Batman-Online than to any other section of the fandom.

The Luke precedent has me slightly worried.

I don't want to see Harrison Ford return as Indiana Jones. I love the original trilogy and I'm happy to leave it at that. The Last Crusade was the perfect ending. Let's not ruin it by making another. I'm also apprehensive about the new Ghostbusters. There was a time when I would have killed to see GB3, and I waited decades for it to happen. But now they've made us wait too long and the ship has sailed. I'll still go and see Afterlife, and I'm trying to be optimistic about it, but I can't honestly say I'm excited anymore. There were two childhood heroes I always wanted to see return to the big screen: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker and Michael Keaton as Batman. One of those already happened, and it was a disaster.

What if they do something similar with Bat-Keaton? What if they pull the same post-modernist shtick to "subvert our expectations" and have Bruce portrayed as a broken down wimp who refuses to train his successor or help the people of Gotham? What if they follow the recent trend of bringing back old heroes just to kill them off? I hope none of these things happen, but if they do we might end up wishing Keaton hadn't returned. Just like I wish Luke hadn't. That's a sobering thought.

What I specifically don't want is for Keaton to be brought back as Batman in some capacity and then killed off in the same movie. Keaton is no spring chicken, of course. But for me, it's not worth opening Pandora's box if they shoot for something cheap like killing Keaton's version of the character off in the movie.

I hasten to remind everybody that we're talking about Flashpoint here. That's a Flash story. All other characters (especially "alternate universe" characters like Keaton's Batman) might be considered expendable in a Flash movie.

I can already see the nitwit director or producer saying something dumb like "We thought it'd be great to up the stakes of the movie by killing off the alternate universe Batman. And hey, we cast Keaton as the alternate universe version so that's a good thing for fans, right?"

Remember, they don't think like we do.

I have minimal needs for this movie. And if this Keaton thing happens, my ONLY request is that the character not be killed off in any capacity whatsoever. I don't need Keaton to actually suit up as Batman and I don't need Keaton to come back for multiple films or anything like that. I wouldn't say no to that stuff, don't get me wrong. But I don't need it either.

I just need the character to not get killed off. And people, considering how things played out with Arrowverse's COIE, this is something we should all be mindful of.

[The Dark Knight]

The deal seems to be for multiple films or more, so it seems less likely Keaton gets killed in the Flash movie. That seems to be the re-introduction to the character so the mentor role can be served long term. Ultimately, I think the disappointment of DisneyWars and chiefly it's handling of Luke will be beneficial to a lot of other legacy franchises, much like the darker direction the Batman franchise took after B&R. It will be the template of what NOT to do. Lana Wachowski recently said The Matrix 4 will deliver what the fans want, and they're aware of what the fans want. That is exactly the type of thing I want to hear, and it gives me a lot of confidence. Lots more for me to say on this topic, but "he's out there right now, and I've got to go to work."