Batman fans already knew Michael Keaton would return to the DCEU as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming “The Flash.” And now the directing pair behind HBO Max‘s upcoming “Batgirl” movie officially confirms Keaton’s back for their take on Gotham City, too, though the rumors and set photos, yes, were in overdrive for a while now.
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In an interview with Insider, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah decided to drop the news. “Can we say anything?” El Arbi asked his filmmaking partner. “Fuck yes,” Fallah responded, “The O.G. Batman is in the movie.” El Arbi and Fallah’s comments confirm news broken by The Hollywood Reporter late last year that Keaton would be in “Batgirl.” However, nothing new came of that story until the pair confirmed it earlier this week.
And Michael Keaton is indeed “The O.G. Batman.” Keaton became the first actor to portray Bruce Wayne/Batman on the big screen for Tim Burton in 1989’s “Batman.” He reprised the role in Burton’s 1992 sequel, “Batman Returns.” But Keaton hasn’t had any association with the role for decades until news broke in April 2021 would return as the superhero in “The Flash.”
“Batgirl” stars Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon, played by J.K. Simmons, who moonlights as the masked vigilante. Brendan Fraser also stars as pyromaniac villain Firefly.
Now, the big question is, where will audiences see Keaton as Batman again first: “The Flash” or “Batgirl”? Even El Arbi And Fallah don’t know the answer to that one. “We don’t know when ‘Batgirl’ is coming out,” said El Arbi, who, along with Fallah, spoke to Insider while promoting their upcoming Disney+ show “Ms. Marvel.” The filmmaking duo behind “Bad Boys For Life” executive produced and directed several episodes of the series, which premieres on June 8.
“Batgirl” wrapped shooting earlier this year and has a tentative late-2022 release date. As for “The Flash.” The film has had its release date shuffled around a few times now, with current plans to hit theaters on June 23, 2023. But given Ezra Miller‘s unruly, tabloid-worthy behavior in recent months, it’s hard to tell whether Warner Brother Discovery are thinking differently about the future (though a recent Variety piece basically says the plan, for now, is proceeding ahead as scheduled and not make any rash decisions either way).
In any case, Keaton’s back as Batman twice over the next year. Will it be a permanent thing? With all of the shake-ups happening at Warner Bros. right now, anything’s possible.