Michael Keaton’s Batman may appear in Warner Bros.’ upcoming The Flash movie.
Keaton, who played Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), is reportedly in talks to reprise his iconic role in the 2022 film starring Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster. Negotiations between Warner Bros. and Keaton are in the very early stages, so nothing is set in stone yet.
Set to be directed by It: Chapter Two filmmaker Andrés Muschietti from the latest draft of the script by Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson, The Flash movie follows Miller’s Barry Allen as he travels back in time to prevent the death of his mother. But in doing so, he inadvertently creates another universe protected by Keaton’s Batman, who is now 30 years older since the events of Batman Returns.
While it’s not clear yet whether Keaton’s Batman will play a huge role in The Flash movie or will simply pop up in a cameo appearance, the plot of the movie is set to introduce the idea of the multiverse to the general audience. For those who are not familiar with the term, the multiverse refers to the ever-changing number of alternate universes that coexist within the larger reality depicted in DC Comics. Though the concept was originally created to explain the several opposing changes DC characters experienced over the decades, it eventually allowed the comic book company to tell stories of different versions of the same character and even have them interact with one another during special occasions.
Though the concept of multiverse has yet to be introduced to the big screen’s DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it’s something that has already been established on The CW’s Arrowverse franchise. Interestingly, last year’s Arrowverse crossover event Crisis on Infinite Earth suggested that DCEU and the Arrowverse are connected after Miller’s Barry and Grant Gustin’s Barry Allen met each other in the fourth installment of the five-part TV special.
The Flash movie is eyeing a to start production in the first quarter of 2021, subject to COVID-19 protocols.