Michael Keaton is not expected to become the new Batman of the DCEU after his role in The Flash. Keaton famously played the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman as well as the follow-up film Batman Returns in 1992. Keaton was then replaced by Val Kilmer in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever, but Keaton will be putting on his cowl again soon.
Fans were shocked back in June when it was announced that Keaton was reprising his role as Batman for The Flash. It was quickly announced that Keaton would be playing the same Batman he did in previous movies and would actually suit up rather than just being a side character. Little information has come out about Keaton's role since, but DC Films president Walter Hamada later revealed that there will be "two different film sagas involving Batman — played by two different actors — running at the same time." A previous report indicated that Keaton was set to take over as the main Batman of the DCEU since Robert Pattinson's film is a stand-alone movie, but that now appears to not be the case.
After the internet went ablaze with reports that Keaton was returning for multiple films in the DCEU, Brooks Barnes (the New York Times reporter who originally interviewed Hamada) clarified his statement on Keaton's involvement in future DC films. In a recent tweet, Barnes explained that Keaton has only been cast in The Flash and that the actor hasn't been confirmed for multiple Batman films. Barnes' original tweet can be read below:
The future of the DCEU is still a bit of a mystery. As mentioned above, Pattinson's The Batman is set outside of the DCEU's continuity, but Ben Affleck is returning for The Flash. Ezra Miller's character appeared on The CW's The Flash during the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event, effectively setting up the Multiverse within the DCEU. This means that Pattinson's Batman could connect to the DCEU, along with any other DC film ever made. The possibilities are endless for which DC characters could appear in The Flash, but Ray Fisher's Cyborg is the main character rumored to make an appearance. That being said, with the ongoing confrontations between Fisher and Warner Bros. executives, he may not end up appearing in the movie.
While it's possible Keaton could return for multiple DC movies, that no longer seems to be the case. If Warner Bros. is planning to have two actors playing the character simultaneously, they will likely recast the character. Affleck is returning as Batman for The Flash and Zack Snyder's Justice League, but it seems unlikely he will return to the franchise given his past comments on the matter. Fans may be disappointed that Keaton may not get a new set of Batman movies, but at least they won't have to wait that much longer to see him back up on the big screen with The Flash hitting theaters next year.
Source: Brooks Barnes
