Michael Keaton To Play Batman For DC’s New Batgirl Movie?
Michael Keaton may have more Batman appearances in his future.
DC Comics and Warner Bros have been developing a Batgirl movie for quite some time. In 2017, the studio announced that Joss Whedon would write, direct and produce the film. But he left the project in 2018 after realizing that he “didn’t really have a story.” Luckily, the movie is still going ahead and it seems like Michael Keaton may be joining the film as Batman.
According to We’ve Got This Covered, DC Films president Walter Hamada wants Michael Keaton to be the canonical Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe moving forward. The actor is rumored to have signed a multi-picture deal to recur as the veteran Bruce Wayne. While nothing has been officially confirmed, Keaton will be reprising his role as Gotham’s protector in 2022’s The Flash.
Michael Keaton first donned the famous cowl in 1989’s Batman, directed by Tim Burton. He returned to work with Burton in 1992’s Batman Returns. Keaton exited the role during the development stages of the third movie, Batman Forever. The move saw Val Kilmer go on to portray Batman under the direction of Joel Schumacher, with George Clooney taking over the role in Batman and Robin.
The Flash will disregard the two latter movies entirely and focus on what Michael Keaton’s version of Batman has been doing since we last saw him. The highly anticipated movie will see Ezra Miller return as The Flash/Barry Allen, who he first portrayed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, and Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
While the exact plot details are currently under wraps, the movie is said to be loosely based on Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert’s 2011 DC Comics crossover event Flashpoint. The story will follow Barry Allen as he travels back in time to prevent the death of his mother, which brings unintentional consequences to his timeline. This possibly includes creating another universe that is protected by Michael Keaton’s Batman.
The Flash is directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey). Marianne Jenkins, Michael Disco, and Barbara Muschietti will be serving as producers for the project. Joining Miller in the cast are Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, and Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen.
Relative newcomer, Sasha Calle of The Young and the Restless fame will be taking on the role of Supergirl, making her the second actress to ever portray the character on the big screen. Michael Keaton will reprise his role as Tim Burton’s Batman, along with Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader. And Grant Gustin will guest star as The Flash/Barry Allen from (presumably) another timeline.
Meanwhile, Bad Boys for Life filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have signed on to direct Batgirl. Christina Hodson, who has worked on Birds of Prey and The Flash, will be writing the script for the HBO Max film. Kristin Burr (of Cruella fame) will serve as producer.
Batgirl will focus on Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, with Gail Simone’s The New 52 Batgirl comics used as a starting point for the story. Additionally, Leslie Grace was cast as Batgirl last week. The studio was already impressed with the actress’s breakout role in In the Heights, and her audition sealed the deal. There is currently no release date for the movie.
