The Flash director explains how he convinced Michael Keaton to return and play Batman. Keaton was a controversial choice when he first tackled the role of Bruce Wayne in Tim Burton’s 1989 take on the classic comic book crime fighter.
But all doubts about Keaton’s ability to embody Gotham City’s Caped Crusader were quickly vanquished as Batman went on to gross $411 million. Keaton would only play Bruce Wayne one more time however, donning the cowl for 1992’s Batman Returns. Others would then take on the burden of bringing Batman to life on the big screen, with varying degrees of success. But now over thirty years after he first played the role, Keaton is returning to play Batman in Andi Muschietti’s The Flash, as the DCEU prepares to fully embrace the madness of the multiverse. And in case any fans were still doubtful that Keaton really is in The Flash, this weekend’s DC FanDome event featured a teaser confirming that the original cinematic Batman is indeed part of the movie.
Speaking recently from DC’s FanDome event in China, The Flash director Muschietti actually had occasion to discuss Keaton coming on board the movie, and gave some insight into how he was able to convince the Oscar-nominated actor to put on the Batman costume again. As it turns out, the writing was a big part of it (via ComicBook.com):
"I think Keaton was honored to come to do this character again. But mainly we sent him a great script, and that is probably the thing that got him interested. It's more complex than this...we gave him a great script and I promised him great direction. And that was about it."
The movie’s script by Christina Hodson is of course key to everything as The Flash apparently tackles the comic book Flashpoint arc and the timeline chaos that ensues thanks to Barry Allen’s meddling in the past. And that timeline chaos indeed is the reason Keaton’s Batman is in the movie alongside Ben Affleck’s iteration. Of course plans for these two Batman actors to appear in the same movie would have fallen through had Keaton not been amenable to returning. Luckily, Keaton seems to be at a place in his career where he’s ready to embrace being Batman again.
The specifics of what happens with Keaton’s Batman in The Flash are of course not yet known but the recent teaser suggests that, like in the Flashpoint arc, Barry Allen and the Caped Crusader become allies in The Flash’s quest to put right the damage he’s done to the timeline. It remains to be seen what all of this ultimately means for the DCEU but it certainly seems that the long-running cinematic universe is on the verge of a major shake-up. Of course the DCEU has been shaken up before and the results have not always been to everyone’s liking. It will be interesting to see if the multiverse chaos unleashed by The Flash brings new energy to DC’s cinematic endeavors, or just confuses things beyond hope.
Source: ComicBook.com
