HOLLYWOOD—Michael Keaton is in talks to reprise his role as Batman in the Warner Bros. upcoming film “The Flash.”
Sources told The Wrap that conversation between Keaton and the studio are in early stages. There is no guarantee that a deal will land, neither on how big or small a role the characters would have in the film.
Keaton first played the character in Tim Burton’s 1989 “Batman.” The film’s financial and critical success led to Keaton reprising his role in 1992 in “Batman Returns,” also directed by Burton.
“The Flash,” which will star actor Ezra Miller in the title role, will introduce the idea of the multiverse from DC Comics. The multiverse was created to fix or explain different versions of DC characters over the decades. The concept also allowed for different versions of the same character to coexist and interact with each other.
There are no details about how the multiverse will be explored in subsequent DC films.
Famous for overcoming initial doubts about his casting as the Caped Crusader, Keaton also shocked fans by departing the role after Burton was pushed out of the third installment “Batman Forever” in the franchise and replaced by Joel Schumacher.
Batman has been since been interpreted by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins,” “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” and by Ben Affleck in Zack Snyder’s “Batman vs. Superman” and “Justice League.”
Although Keaton may reprise his role as Batman for “The Flash,” Robert Pattinson is slated to play the latest version of the character in the upcoming “The Batman,” scheduled to open October 1, 2021.
