Let’s face it, 2020 has REALLY sucked so far. With Covid-19 shutting down pretty much everything, movie news has been pretty sparse, especially in the superhero film category… unless you’re talking about release dates getting pushed back. But now, we’ve got some news that is really, truly exciting. The Wrap is reporting that none other than Michael Keaton is “in talks” to return to the big screen as Bruce Wayne and Batman once again, by way of THE FLASH movie starring Ezra Miller. The rumors state this is in early stages, so don’t get overly excited just yet, but considering Miller’s somewhat controversial viral behavior (it’s not even known right now if WB will keep Miller in the role), and THE FLASH movie’s already troubled past, the higher ups at Warner Bros. may be looking for ways to make sure audiences will give the film a chance. There were also recent rumors of Henry Cavill returning as Superman in other DC movies, instead of a proper MAN OF STEEL sequel, and I had actually commented about how using him in THE FLASH movie might be a smart move to appeal to moviegoers on the fence. Keaton back as Batman though? Even better!

So how could this possibly happen? By way of the “multiverse”, a concept involving alternate timelines and universes containing variations of established superheroes and villains, allowing the characters we know to meet other versions of themselves if desired. For those wondering, THE BATMAN (directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson) is said to exist in its own universe, separate from the rest of the DCEU movies like AQUAMAN and WONDER WOMAN, of even Henry Cavill’s Superman. So it’s not likely you’ll see Battinson teaming up (or even referenced) with Flash or anyone else we’ve already met.

The last time we saw Michael Keaton in the Bat-suit was in 1992’s BATMAN RETURNS, his second outing with director Tim Burton after BATMAN (1989). Keaton chose not to return for BATMAN FOREVER in 1995, as he didn’t like the direction the script was going in, and it’s likely Burton dropping out didn’t help. But a few years ago the actor starred in BIRDMAN, an award-winning audience favorite that saw him playing an actor who is older, but still well known for playing a Batman-like superhero on the big screen many years ago, and is now somewhat haunted by that role. It was a somewhat meta-role for Keaton, perhaps even cathartic based on his interviews, and he almost won an Oscar for it to boot. There have been rumors for years about Keaton potentially returning as Batman either in a cinematic retelling of Frank Miller’s classic THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS story (which followed an older and more-grizzled Batman in a dark tale), or as a much older Bruce Wayne mentoring Terry McGinnis in a future-set BATMAN BEYOND movie… should one ever get made.

The rumors say the Flash movie will not reference the third and fourth Batman movies (which did not star Keaton), and assume that the Tim Burton version of Bruce Wayne has been active since being introduced – he’s now 30 years older though. How this will work involves the Flashpoint concept, based on the comics, in which Barry Allen (Miller) travels back in time to stop his mother from being killed, and creates an alternate timeline, in which certain characters are realized in a very different way. We’ve seen elements of this in THE FLASH television series, but some of those storylines have gone is very different directions. Ezra Miller even had a cameo as The Flash meeting Grant Gustin’s version on the show, but it only lasted about a minute, so technically the movie has already crossed over with the series. There was also already talk of Jeffrey Dean Morgan possibly appearing at Thomas Wayne’s version of Batman in the movie, another element taken from the Flashpoint comics – Thomas Wayne is Bruce Wayne’s father, and in Flashpoint it’s Bruce Wayne who dies and leads to Thomas becoming Batman… and his version of the Batman was dark and sinister, not above killing people to achieve his goals. Andy Muschietti (IT and IT: CHAPTER TWO) is currently on board to direct THE FLASH movie, which may be called “Flashpoint”, and is supposed to begin shooting in 2021 if Covid-19 lets up. There have been a lot of changes to the film, directors dropping out, script issues, so we’ll see how things play out.

Piggybacking on this news, Borys Kit (who writes for The Hollywood Reporter) is saying if this deal is made, we could be seeing Keaton playing Batman in multiple DCEU movies, perhaps in a mentoring role. He could show up in BATGIRL and other films, and could be a creative way to replace Ben Affleck’s Batman in the current cinematic universe, meaning he could show up in future AQUAMAN and WONDER WOMAN films as well. See his Tweet below.

So how do you feel about this news? Keep in mind, until we hear an “official” announcement from Warner Bros. or DC, this is all just rumor at this point. Also, the writer at The Wrap who broke this story has a bit of a history of wild rumors, especially when it comes to superhero movies, so that should very much be taken into consideration. That’s not to say it’s that crazy of an idea. We’ve been seeing a lot of actors returning to roles they made famous – Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter as Bill & Ted, also Keanu as Neo, and more. We should note that Keaton also seems to really embrace his connection with Batman, so it may very well be a role he genuinely wants to return to. I guess we’ll know soon enough. With Zack Snyder’s “Snyder Cut” of JUSTICE LEAGUE actually hitting HBO Max next year, I’m thinking we’re entering an age of superhero movies where all bets are off. Tell us your thoughts of this news in the comments.

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