Michael Keaton’s Role In The Flash Gets Disappointing Update?
A new report claims Michael Keaton's appearance in The Flash movie is being significantly reduced, and the actor himself may be walking away from the role of Batman.
Just when it appeared that DC was getting its act together with its cinematic universe, a new report indicates the heralded return of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman may be over before it even starts. Bounding Into Comics is delving into a new report by Syl Abdul that states Keaton’s role in the upcoming The Flash film is being significantly reduced. Even worse, it appears Keaton may be walking away from the role altogether, after it seemed Warner Bros. was ready to make him the main Batman of the DCEU.
Michael Keaton’s place in the DCEU is in flux because of several factors, including the fact that Walter Hamada, the head of DC Films, left earlier this year and James Gunn and Peter Safran are now in charge after the Warner Bros. merger with Discovery. Since that time, Gunn appears to be moving forward with Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck as his Superman and Batman, which would leave Keaton on the outside looking in, even with the multiverse being part of the plot of The Flash.
Abdul says that changes to The Flash film are causing Michael Keaton’s prominence in the film to change. “I was assuming Keaton was still there. Keaton may not be there in the end. His future is murky,” he says. He even offers specifics, claiming that Keaton’s scenes in the second act of the film are intact and will likely remain, but he says the third act is seeing changes that could alter things. That possibly includes having Henry Cavill appear as Superman, which may leave Keaton as one hero too many, and subject to being phased out.
Ezra Miller’s legal troubles and disturbing behavior have caused changes to The Flash, which may be affecting Michael Keaton’s standing in the film. The actor has made headlines for his trouble with the law, including charges of assault and breaking and entering. Miller could be facing years in prison, and is also facing accusations that they has set themselves up as a Messiah-like figure on a Vermont farm, and was supposedly grooming children.
Earlier this summer, Miller met with Warner Bros. Discovery executives to discuss the matter and salvage his career. The actor reportedly apologized, and some additional scenes for The Flash were later filmed, although the context of those scenes is not known. How the new Flash scenes would affect Michael Keaton’s role in the film is also not known.
With reports that Ben Affleck has signed on to scenes in both The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom seems to indicate DC prefers to feature a younger Batman in those films, and he may be part of the reason Keaton’s role in The Flash is being reduced.
Word of a potential Batman Beyond film, with Michael Keaton in the lead, appears to be dead, as neither James Gunn nor WBD CEO David Zaslav no longer plan on making Keaton a center piece of the DCEU. The cancellation of the Batgirl film, which would have introduced Keaton into the DCEU, is making it easier for his role to be reduced.
Michael Keaton has not commented on the rumors, but he did voice his disappointment in the cancellation of Batgirl. It’s entirely possible that Keaton sees the writing on the wall, and prefers to walk away from the iconic role before James Gunn and DC forces him out.
