Keaton is in talks to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in “The Flash,” and his return could have big ramifications for the DC comics film universe
In what is probably the biggest development for the DC Extended Universe (aka the DC Comics movieverse), Michael Keaton is in talks to return the role for which he was best known: Batman. It’s a surprising development for a universe of films that already has two Batmans. But the way that Warner Bros is bringing him back could provide the studio with a way to sort of reboot this franchise, which has been without any sort of narrative center since 2017’s “Justice League.”
Keaton will make his return as Bruce Wayne in the long-delayed “The Flash” movie, which makes so much sense. You may recall that at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017, Warner Bros announced that the Flash film would be called “Flashpoint.” The planned film no longer has that title, but will still be based in part on the “Flashpoint” comic.
Back in 2017, as rumors mounted that the DC films would be moving away from Ben Affleck’s version of the Caped Crusader, we wrote that a “Flashpoint” movie, which would involve time travel and alternate universes, would allow them to recast the character without starting over from scratch on this whole film universe. And that’s still true!
But clearly we didn’t think big enough back then. Bringing back Keaton this way could allow Warner Bros to turn the frustrations with the state of the DCEU into a long-term win. And they could even use this to bring the Snyder Cut of “Justice League” into the DCEU canon.
So how would this work? Well, let’s talk about the “Flashpoint” comic for a second. That story saw the Flash himself, Barry Allen, attempt to use time travel to save his mother — who died when Barry was young. The Flash can time travel thanks to his incredible speed and the “Speed Force,” which is what gives Barry his powers.
