Michael Keaton Signed To Star In Batman Beyond Live-Action Series
Michael Keaton is back as Batman in a brand new series
This article is more than 2 years old
Michael Keaton is returning to the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming The Flash movie, and this has led fans to speculate if he could be showing up as the Caped Crusader in any other upcoming projects. Well, if a new exclusive report is to be believed, he will be doing just that in one of the most highly requested live-action adaptations in the entire DC canon.
Small Screen is reporting that Michael Keaton has signed on to reprise the role of Bruce Wayne in a live-action Batman Beyond series for HBO Max. Fans have been clamoring to see Keaton in this role for many years, and if Small Screen’s supposed multiple sources are true, Keaton has already signed on the dotted line for the show.
If this proposed HBO Max series plays out like the original animated series of Batman Beyond, Michael Keaton would be playing a much older version of Bruce Wayne in a futuristic Gotham City. He would then take on the role of mentor to a brand new Batman, who was embodied by the character of Terry McGinnis in the animated series.
The report from Small Screen does not mention what specific direction this proposed Batman Beyond live-action series would take, but it is worth assuming that Michael Keaton would be featured as prominently as the older version of Bruce Wayne was in the original animated series. Small Screen does state that Keaton’s appearance in the upcoming The Flash film would amount to just a cameo, but that his participation in the Batman Beyond live-action series would be as a starring role.
Fans have been wanting a revival of Batman Beyond in some form ever since the show ended its run back in 2001. And for a live-action adaptation, fans have almost unanimously wanted to see Michael Keaton in the role of an older, more jaded version of the Bruce Wayne character. It would be a fascinating opportunity to tell the story of what happened to Keaton’s version of the character after we saw him last in (the excellent) Batman Returns.
Small Screen does not say what the proposed timeline is for the release of the Batman Beyond live-action series on HBO Max, so if this is really happening, we don’t know how quickly the streaming platform is going to develop the series. We also don’t know who the main creative forces will be at this point. If this report is true, it is likely that signing Michael Keaton was the big hurdle to get over. Now that that’s possibly happened, things could move quickly in getting the show up and running.
We have heard there are other Batman series plans for HBO Max, and we hope that this Batman Beyond series is able to keep moving forward. It will be great to see Michael Keaton in the role of Bruce Wayne once again, and having him be a mentor to a new Batman sounds like a great way to continue his legacy as one of the greatest actors to ever play the Dark Knight.
