Michael Keaton Is Now DC’s Prime Batman, Replacing Ben Affleck
Michael Keaton is back as Batman for good. So long, Ben Affleck.
This article is more than 2 years old
Michael Keaton is the definitive Batman for a generation of fans. Making his mark in Tim Burton’s Batman and the (even better) Batman Returns, the actor has put an indelible stamp on the character that has lasted over the decades. We had known that he would be making an appearance in The Flash, but a new piece of news has confirmed one of the wildest things we have heard in a while.
According to Batman on Film and apparently confirmed by Lights, Camera, Pod on Twitter, Michael Keaton will be one of two actors who will be positioned as DC’s main Batman actors. The other will be Robert Pattinson in The Batman. This is one of the nuttiest pieces of news that we have come across, especially since it seems to mean that Ben Affleck is out of the franchise entirely. As far as the claim that DC is only going to focus on two Batman actors, that news itself was offered up by the president of DC Films, Walter Hamada.
This has just thrown the entire future of the DC film universe into a tizzy. If Ben Affleck is out and Michael Keaton is in, this has to mean that Warner Bros./DC is abandoning the Zack Snyder direction for these characters. Right? Or will the multiverse shenanigans that we will see in The Flash somehow replace Affleck’s version with Keaton’s while keeping around other actors like Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman? And if Keaton is going to be Batman in a series of films, what could those films possibly be?
Even though this report has been confirmed by outside sources, we have to wait and see if Warner Bros./DC themselves decide to comment on Michael Keaton stepping into the cape and cowl full-time. We have heard plenty of rumblings that he would be involved with future DC projects – including a Batman Beyond live-action series on HBO Max – but if Warner Bros./DC is throwing their hat in with him in total, that has to mean they have other future projects in mind for his version of Batman.
Honestly, we are legitimately shocked at this news. Granted, the return of Michael Keaton as Batman will assuredly be a big get for older fans, but just what could the gameplan be for his take on the character? And if he is going to be one of the two main actors portraying Batman in future projects, just how action-oriented can they be considering his age? Well, he certainly seemed more than game for such action when he was the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Between stunt actors, digital doubles, and straight-up deepfakes, we guess there is a lot this Batman could do in this day and age. Heck, will they be digitally de-aging Michael Keaton for these new potential Batman movies?
After we catch our breath, we will be keeping the closest of eyes on this news. Michael Keaton looks to definitely be back as Batman, and we could be getting a lot of him in the future. What a wild ride this DC universe is going to be.
