Early signs ahead of Batman's appearance in The Flash are looking good after Michael Keaton comments on slipping back into the DC fold. 2022 will be a big year for live-action Batmen. Aside from Robert Pattinson's debut in The Batman, Ben Affleck returns in the DCEU's The Flash effort starring Ezra Miller, and will be joined by Michael Keaton, reprising his role from Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie. Using Barry Allen's time-traversing speed powers, The Flash is finally cracking open the DC multiverse, connecting previous eras of Batman movies to the current franchise.
On one hand, the prospect of Keaton's return is thrilling. There's an element of unfinished business after his Batman tenure skidded to a halt, and melding Tim Burton's world with DC's modern superhero landscape carries the potential to become a gloriously rousing blend of old and new... but only if done right. Bringing Michael Keaton's Batman into the DCEU multiverse after 30 years, risks relying too heavily on nostalgia. The casting might also step on Ben Affleck's toes, as both portray veteran Dark Knights. The Flash needs to strike upon a progressive role for Keaton, while still appreciating why his Bruce Wayne performance remains so popular.
And based on recent comments from the man himself, that's exactly what The Flash is doing. Michael Keaton described feeling emotional while filming his Bruce Wayne reintroduction, admitting that revisiting Batman was unexpectedly easy. Keaton was apparently taken aback by the scale of his new story too, and the actor hinted that the imagery surrounding his comeback is at least somewhat reminiscent of Tim Burton.
These are hugely encouraging sentiments. Michael Keaton steered clear of Batman for many years after 1992's Batman Returns, and his starring role in Birdman plays (intentionally or otherwise) on the actor's real life career trajectory after hanging up the cowl. Keaton also holds a reputation for speaking his mind, bluntly when necessary, so when he says The Flash is hitting all the right emotional notes with Tim Burton's Bruce Wayne, this isn't just your usual sugar-coated Hollywood rhetoric where actors are contractually obliged to speak positively about upcoming projects. That The Flash is getting Michael Keaton genuinely excited about his Batman return (and his first scene in particular) is a strong indication that Andy Muschietti has a meaningful role in mind for the Burton era's Caped Crusader.
The other exciting takeaway is how The Flash apparently recaptures Tim Burton's aesthetic. Not only does this prove that the square peg of Keaton's Batman isn't being blindly hammered into the round hole of the DCEU, but also that Muschietti is evoking Burton without going full-on The Nightmare Before Christmas - a whiff of nostalgia, but with relevance to the current narrative. This is exactly what Michael Keaton's Batman should be in 2022.
It's all too easy to decry Keaton's presence in The Flash as a shameless stunt casting. DC movies haven't performed as well as their MCU rivals, and an illustrious cinematic history is one area where DC holds a distinct advantage over Marvel, so recasting a favorite Batman is solid marketing. But Michael Keaton's genuine enthusiasm for The Flash should serve as reassurance that whatever he and Andy Muschietti have cooking is both respectful to the past and meaningful for the DCEU's future.
