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After nearly 30 years, Michael Keaton is in talks to return to the role of Batman, to appear alongside Ezra Miller in Warner Bros.’ upcoming movie “The Flash,” TheWrap has learned exclusively. Talks with Keaton are in the very early stages, it is far from a sure thing, and can go either way. No details are currently available about how big or small Keaton’s role is.
That plot will introduce general audiences to the idea of the multiverse, one of the of core concepts underpinning DC Comics. For the non fanboy set, the multiverse refers to a shifting number of alternate universes that coexist within the larger reality depicted in DC comics. Originally created to explain various contradictory changes the company’s characters experienced over decades, it allows several different versions of the same characters to simultaneously exist and, occasionally, interact. Matt Reeves upcoming “The Batman” will not be affected and Robert Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne is still viewed as the future of the franchise.
One notable component is the idea that in every single universe, Earth is always home to a larger than normal number of superpowered heroes and villains whose actions often have galaxy-spanning consequences.
Also Read: What Michael Keaton’s Return As Batman Could Mean for the DCEU and the Snyder Cut
DC has been planting the seeds of the multiverse for the last several years. It was introduced in The CW’s “Arrowverse” franchise, with “Supergirl” and “Black Lightning” expressly established as being in separate universes from “Arrow,” “The Flash,” and “Legends of Tomorrow.” But most recently, during The CW’s crossover event “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” movies such as “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League” were confirmed as part of the Arrowverse multiverse when the Barry Allen played by Grant Gustin on The CW encountered Miller’s Barry Allen.
And while it’s still not known how the multiverse concept will play out in other future DC Comics movies, it certainly expands the available options for Warner Bros as it develops them. Just in case it wants to find a way to pit Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker against, say, the current version of Aquaman.
We discuss the potential greater ramifications of Keaton’s return in more depth here.
Keaton first played Batman/Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton’s 1989 blockbuster of the same name, a critical and financial success that changed how superhero films were viewed — and paved the way for the genre’s future box office domination. Keaton’s casting was initially controversial among fans, as he was primarily known for broad comedies. But his performance, particularly how he used his comedic background in his portrayal of Bruce Wayne to differentiate it from Batman, was widely praised and is now recognized as an seminal moment in comic book films.
Keaton last played Batman in 1992’s “Batman Returns,” but quit the role during development of a third film after Burton was pushed out as director and replaced with Joel Schumacher, who took the series in a campier direction with 1995’s “Batman Forever” and its much-reviled 1997 follow up “Batman & Robin.”
But “The Flash” will disregard the latter two entries entirely, and explore what Keaton’s version of Batman has been up since we last saw him. Loosely based on the 2011 DC Comics crossover event “Flashpoint” — previously announced as the film’s title at Comic-Con 2017 — the story sees Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen travel back in time to prevent the death of his mother. The result? Allen inadvertently creates another universe protected by Michael Keaton’s Batman, now 30 years older.
“It: Chapter Two” director Andrés Muschietti is set to direct “The Flash” movie from the latest draft of the script from “Birds of Prey” writer Christina Hodson. Barbara Muschietti and Michael Disco are producing.
“The Flash” is eyeing a Q1 2021 production start, subject to covid-19 protocols.
Keaton is repped by ICM Partners and Ziffren.
Every DC Comics Movie Ranked From Worst to Best, Including ‘Birds of Prey’ and ‘Joker’
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Marvel may be the dominant force in comic book movies at the moment just through sheer numbers, it’s actually DC Comics that has the historical edge. Films based on DC properties go back nearly a century to those ancient Batman and Superman serials, while Marvel didn’t really get things going until this century. That’s a lot of history — how do the recent “Birds of Prey” and “Joker” stack up? Let’s take a look.
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35. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987)
Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But “Superman IV” is a bomb in every sense — partly because of its heavy-handedness about bombs. Nuclear bombs. The film finds Superman trying to eliminate the world’s nuclear threat, but his best intentions run afoul of a silly, badly dated villain named Nuclear Man.
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34. “Supergirl” (1984)
We had a female-superhero movie in 1984, and it was pure cheese. But hey, at least they tried. The best thing I can say about it is there are worse things in life than this movie.
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32. “Steel” (1997)
Best known as “the one Shaq was in back when he tried acting,” “Steel” is pretty bad. But the fun kind of bad.
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31. “Justice League” (2017)
Warner Bros has continued to innovate in how to make bad DCEU movies, with “Justice League” managing to be terrible in a totally different way from “Batman v Superman” and “Suicide Squad.”
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30. “Man of Steel” (2013)
Could have been worse, I guess. But it’s still morally gross and has a plot that doesn’t make sense. That it’s very pretty to look at doesn’t override those things nearly enough to make it watchable.
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29. “Joker” (2019)
This is not a good characterization of the Joker as a human being, and aside from that it’s just a soulless, meaningless experience.
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28. “Catwoman” (2004)
Thoroughly horrible, but somehow amusing even so. Sad that it’s seemingly been swept into the litter box of history.
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27. “Batman & Robin” (1997)
Rightly hated, but it’s tremendously entertaining here and there. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzeneggar are going so far over the top I can’t help but admire them.
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26. “Superman III” (1983)
Featured a brilliant corporate rip-off — one later referenced in “Office Space” — but the attempt to funny things up with the addition of Richard Pryor didn’t gel. There was also a weird bit about a weather satellite creating bad weather, which isn’t what weather satellites do. Seeing Clark Kent fight Superman was pretty cool, though.
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25. “Green Lantern” (2011)
Overreliance on cartoony visual effects during a period when big blockbusters were moving away from that aesthetic meant this was a movie nobody liked. Not that it was especially horrible. It just looked like a dumb cartoon and is hard to watch.
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24. “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)
Probably wasn’t intended to be a grim and gritty Shumacher Batmovie, but that is indeed what it is. This is Nolan going full Hollywood, smashing plot points into place by sheer force of will rather than because they make sense. An extremely theatrical Tom Hardy as Bane is amusing front to back, and a nuke with a countdown clock on it will never get old.
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23. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016)
A total mess that hates Superman and turns Batman into a total maniac. None of those things are good. Ben Affleck can’t save the thing, but he’s excellent nonetheless and gives it a huge bump it probably doesn’t deserve.
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22. “Watchmen” (2009)
I have no particular affection for the revered “Watchmen” comic the way a lot of other nerds do, so my distaste for this adaptation isn’t personal. It just doesn’t add up to nearly as much as it thinks it does.
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21. “Batman” (1989)
Fondly remembered mostly because it was the first Batmovie in a couple decades. It isn’t actually very good, though. The reveal that a younger version of the Joker killed Bruce Wayne’s parents is as hamfistedly dumb as it gets in a “Batman” movie.
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20. “V for Vendetta” (2006)
Felt nothing watching this. I tried, OK. It’s impeccably made, though, and very watchable.
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18. “Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition” (2016)
Giving this its own slot because it fundamentally changes the narrative of the movie and the character of Superman in the DC Extended Universe. This version is still not great (especially at three freaking hours), but it’s a monumental improvement over the theatrical version.
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17. “Red 2” (2013)
Did you even know these were comic book movies? Whatever, it’s a great cast in a serviceable action movie and everybody’s having a good time. Hard to remember, but fun.
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16. “Red” (2010)
Better than its sequel, but they’re basically the same.
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15. “Batman Forever” (1995)
Hits just the right tone for what Joel Shumacher was trying to do with the two films he directed. Tommy Lee Jones, as Two Face, is doing stuff in this movie that is hard to believe even today, given his perpetual sour face in nearly every other movie he’s been in.
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14. “Superman Returns” (2006)
Actually a pretty decent attempt by Bryan Singer to do a Christopher Reeve “Superman” movie in the present day, but Brandon Routh couldn’t pull off the charisma it takes to be the Man of Steel. It was his first movie, so that’s not surprising. But it’s a shame, because Routh has gotten much better in the years since.
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13. “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” (1993)
Remember that time they released a “Batman” cartoon theatrically? It gets lost amongst all the live-action ones, but “Mask of the Phantasm” is better than most of them.
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12. “The LEGO Batman Movie” (2017)
Funny, sweet and self-deprecating — exactly what we needed in the wake of the disaster that was “Batman v Superman.”
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11. “Superman II” (1980)
Made kids everywhere cry as they watched Superman give up his powers for a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). There are different edits of this movie, and we frankly can’t keep them straight. But the sight of a powerless Clark getting beat up in a diner made Superman as sympathetic as he’s ever been.
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10. “Wonder Woman” (2017)
Has the standard origin movie problem of “too much story, not enough time.” And the standard DC Extended Universe problem of “We gotta have a nonsensical CGI battle at the end.” But despite those caveats it’s an enormous delight, and a big step forward for the DCEU.
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9. “Birds of Prey” (2020)
This film is sensory overload, but (mostly) in all the right ways. And it’s got the best action we’ve ever seen in any DC or Marvel movie. This would be a top 5 DC flick easily if the storytelling wasn’t such a huge mess.
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8. “The Dark Knight” (2008)
Should be way shorter, but Heath Ledger’s Joker is far and away the best villain in any of these movies. Ledger elevates what would otherwise be just another self-indulgent Christopher Nolan exercise into an endlessly watchable picture.
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7. “Batman Returns” (1992)
One of the best of the franchise because it’s really just a political thriller. The Penguin emerges from the sewer and runs for mayor of Gotham! It’s great stuff, especially as we continue to watch the rise of Trump in our world.
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6. “Shazam” (2019)
It’s just so much fun! It’s a blast to watch, and is just a really nice celebration of the good parts of humanity. “Shazam” is a movie that simply feels good to watch.
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5. “Constantine” (2005)
A happy balance of serious and ridiculous, manages to find exactly the right tone for this weird religious fantasy and a cast led by Keanu Reeves. They all seem to get it.
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4. “Aquaman” (2018)
It’s not often that we get a comic book movie that is: full on ridiculous; loves how ridiculous it is; and is made with skill by a legitimately great filmmaker. James Wan’s “Aquaman” is all of that, and it’s just a wonderful experience.
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3. “Superman: The Movie” (1978)
This is the gold standard of Superman movies, and was the best superhero movie bar none for many, many years. John Williams’ score soars, and so does the believable and compelling romance between Superman and Lois Lane. The film convincingly blended camp (in the form of Gene Hackman’s wonderful Lex Luthor), an epic origin story that actually felt epic, and funny lines. The scene in which Supes and Lois fly together is one of the most beautiful metaphors for new love ever captured on film.
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2. “Batman: The Movie” (1966)
Has a timelessness that none of the other films do, and it’s just a delight from beginning to end thanks to Adam West’s winking Batman and the coalition of villains who can’t stop cackling maniacally. Watching it again recently, I found it functions almost perfectly as a parody of the super-serious Christopher Nolan Batfilms, which is incredible.
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1. “Batman Begins” (2005)
The most complete film, on its own, in the entire live-action franchise. It’s just, like, a regular movie… except it’s about Batman. It has actual characters and everything, and Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne even has emotions. It’s weird.
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How does the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe fare in our rankings?
Marvel may be the dominant force in comic book movies at the moment just through sheer numbers, it’s actually DC Comics that has the historical edge. Films based on DC properties go back nearly a century to those ancient Batman and Superman serials, while Marvel didn’t really get things going until this century. That’s a lot of history — how do the recent “Birds of Prey” and “Joker” stack up? Let’s take a look.
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