Michael Keaton Will Reportedly Return As Batman, Eventually Replacing Ben Affleck
How many Batmen are too many Batmen? Is it thee Batmen, four? Eight?! Safe to say, we’ve already crossed over the threshold of an ideal density of Batmen in America. The burden of Batmen is too damn high! As such, the revelation that Michael Keaton will be returning as Batman, eventually replacing Ben Affleck, the DCEU’s 2nd most reluctant Batperson after Robert Pattinson, should come as a relief. But while it’s not a net gain, Keaton returning brings the total number of Batmen currently in play to three, which I’m afraid is two too many by any metric.
According to Coming Soon, Mr. Keaton/Mom is going to be suiting up as Batman beginning with the standalone Flash movie starring the infamous lady-choker Ezra Miller, in which Keaton and Ben will be “playing two alternate versions of Bruce Wayne/Batman.”
With production set to finally begin on Warner Bros.’ standalone Flash movie in just a few short months, a new development may see Michael Keaton’s version of the Dark Knight beyond a one-shot appearance in the Andy Muschietti-directed film. According to New York Times writer Brooks Barnes, who recently did a profile of DC Films president Walter Hamada, a quote from the WB exec actually indicates that moving forward Keaton will be the main Batman in the DCEU, effectively replacing Ben Affleck through a multiverse handover that will no doubt occur in Flash’s solo outing.
“Coming up, for instance, Warner Bros. will have two different film sagas involving Batman — played by two different actors — running at the same time,” Hamada stated in the profile.
Writer Brooks Barnes later clarified saying that he didn’t mean Michael Keaton will star in his own Batman series but will make an appearance in one movie and that movie is The Flash. But well, according to Coming Soon, Warner Bros might be picking up with the popular animated series Batman Beyond.
This is music to the ears of fans who thought Keaton’s take on the character deserved a few more cinematic outings than the two he got with 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns. It also could imply that Keaton’s elder Bruce Wayne could be explored in films that adapt either the popular animated series Batman Beyond or the Frank Miller comic book classic “The Dark Knight Returns,” which itself has had several print sequels over the years.
Judging from this clip, Batman Beyond could alternatively be titled Grumpy Old Batmen.
If Michael Keaton is replacing Ben Affleck, I just want him to recreate this scene from Batman Beyond. pic.twitter.com/LnhflS790U
— MisAnthro Pony (@MisAnthroPony) January 4, 2021
Pic: Wenn.com