Director Andy Muschietti has shared a new image from the set of The Flash teasing the Batman suit for Michael Keaton's depiction of the Dark Knight. Written by Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson, the 12th film in the DC Extended Universe will see the titular speedster go back in time in an effort to save his mother from being murdered but instead messes with the larger franchise timeline. Ezra Miller reprises the role of Barry Allen, aka The Flash, and will star alongside Keaton, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Kiersey Clemons, Maribel Verdú and Ron Livingston.
Keaton first made his debut in the role of the Dark Knight in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and its '92 sequel Batman Returns, though departed the role after Warner Bros. elected to not bring Burton back for a third film and take the franchise in a brighter direction. The character would subsequently be portrayed by Val Kilmer and George Clooney for one film each before the property went into hiatus due to the financial failure of Batman & Robin and revived with the Christopher Nolan-helmed trilogy with Christian Bale in the central role. Shortly after the DCEU got up and running, Affleck was tapped to take over the role before departing due to personal reasons, but will return for The Flash alongside Keaton.
As production continues on the DCEU title, Muschietti took to Instagram to share a teaser image for Keaton's Batman suit seen in The Flash. With a few drops of blood on the chest, the suit features the yellow center and smaller bat logo akin to that seen in the Tim Burton-directed films. Check out the image below:
Over 30 years later and when it comes to the discussion of which actor best portrayed Batman, Keaton's name is still one of the first to be thrown out by fans. Knowing his return to the role is imminent has kept fans very excited, even if it seems unlikely that Ray Fisher's Cyborg will appear as many were initially hoping and was the original plan. But what the image does more than just hype up Keaton's reprisal is the bloody nature of his suit in the behind-the-scenes still.
Though Batman is known for his non-killing rule, the DCEU's portrayal of the character has become infamous for his lack of care for the lives of those not pertinent to the story. Even Keaton's portrayal of the character in Burton's films seemed pretty lackadaisical about the lives of his enemies, allowing Jack Nicholson's Joker to plummet to his death and dropping a large bomb directly at the feet of a group of enemies in a factory. With close to a year-and-a-half to go until The Flash hits theaters, fans will have to wait and see if Keaton's older Dark Knight is more prone to brutality or if there's a deeper reason to the blood on his suit.
Source: Andy Muschietti
