Will Michael Keaton become the DCEU’s new Batman?

Recent reports suggest that Michael Keaton is taking over the reins of Batman from Ben Affleck in the DCEU going forward, but is there any truth to that and how is it going to happen?

Every once in a while we get comic book movie news that leave many of us surprised and a little confused. Today is one of those days, because it seems (for now, at least) that Michael Keaton will become the DCEU’s main Batman… with a caveat.

But first, in order to understand today’s news, we need to look back at another internet-breaking report  from 2020: “Michael Keaton Is in Talks To Appear in The Flash as Batman!” Bringing back an actor of Keaton’s caliber to reprise one of his most recognizable roles understandably got our gears turning. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Keaton was expected to take on a role similar to Nick Fury’s in the MCU, appearing in different DC films as an overarching-type presence.

Being from a universe separate from the DCEU (the current house of films like Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman and Shazam!), most of us scratched our heads trying to figure out how Keaton would become a presence in Warner Bros.’ ongoing superhero franchise.

Things are looking a little clearer now. In December of 2020, The New York Times published a profile piece on DC Films president Walter Hamada. In the article, TNYT stated that Robert Pattinson’s Batman franchise would exist concurrently with another Batman in a separate series of films.

A tale of two Batmen

At the time, many assumed this meant a new Batman (separate from Ben Affleck’s and Michael Keaton’s) would be introduced. That, however, was not the case. Recently, a journalist on Twitter reached out to Brooks Barnes, the writer of the Walter Hamada article.

The journalist asked Barnes whether his statement about two Batman franchises running concurrently meant that a brand-new actor would take on the role of the Dark Knight, or if he was instead referring to Keaton’s version of the Caped Crusader.

Barnes replied, stating that he was referring to Keaton.

It’s worth noting that Barnes has since clarified that he meant Keaton would be the primary Batman in only The Flash and that his comments may have been blown out of proportion because nobody knows what is happening after that movie yet. However, it’s still an exciting prospect, isn’t it?

Now, in case this is a little confusing, don’t worry, let’s walk through it.

The main question that stemmed from The New York Times article was that, if one of the two franchises featuring Batman mentioned in the piece was Robert Pattinson’s, what was the other one?

Well, given that Michael Keaton is about to join the DCEU through The Flash, and — as we’ve just learned — Keaton is also supposed to be the Batman that will exist parallel to Pattinson’s Dark Knight, we can assume that—for now, at least—Keaton is the DCEU’s new Batman.

This is not the first time we’ve heard about this

Back in June of 2020, when it was revealed that Keaton was in talks to put his legendary cape and cowl back on, Batman on Film published an article covering the news.

In the piece, the writer included an interesting bit of information, claiming that sources had informed him that Keaton was expected to become the new Batman of the DC Extended Universe:

"“[Keaton’s] older Bruce Wayne will essentially become the revamped DCEU’s version of the character. This could lead to a spinoff where he takes on a young protege to succeed him as Gotham’s protector […]”"

Batman on Film further claims that Keaton’s version of Bruce Wayne is meant to be an adaptation of sorts of the elderly Bruce Wayne seen in the Batman Beyond animated series and comic books. Now, as with any rumor, it’s best to take this information with a grain of salt until officially confirmed.

Are we sure Keaton is the (current) DCEU’s new Batman?

Before throwing our arms up in the air in celebration for Keaton becoming the new Batman of the universe that gave us Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman and Shazam!, we’d be remiss not to consider something: Keaton may become the Batman of a new universe, one that is not entirely connected to the franchise we currently know.

You may be thinking, “Franco, DC only has two franchises right now, of course he is.” The thing is, the situation is not as clear-cut as it may appear, because as we’ve known for some time, The Flash is inspired by Flashpoint.

For those unaware of the 2011 comic book storyline, Flashpoint saw Flash messing with time (you know, as he usually does) by returning to the past to save his mother from being killed by Reverse Flash. By running back in time, Barry inadvertently created a new DC universe, one that was free from the baggage of DC’s by-that-point years-long continuity.

Fans have long assumed that Warner Bros. intends to move away from the shared-universe model with the DCEU. This theory was somewhat validated by Wonder Woman 1984, which featured some inconsistencies with the lore presented in previous entries of the DC film universe.

With its time-bending, new-reality-creating efforts, The Flash seems poised to break the DCEU as we know it and create a new version of the DC film world. This is not just wild speculation on our part.

The assumption that The Flash will open the door for a new DC universe was validated firstly by Michael Keaton taking on a prominent role as an aged Caped Crusader in upcoming films. Secondly, by a comment made by The Flash director Andy Muschietti. In the Vanity Fair article that broke the news (and therefore, the internet) of Ben Affleck’s return as Batman, Muschietti stated that Affleck’s Bruce Wayne would be part of the “unaltered state” of the movie:

"“[Ben Affleck’s Batman is] the baseline. He’s part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure.”"

Taking that information into account, even if Keaton is poised to become the Batman of Warner Bros.’ main superhero franchise, that franchise may not be the DCEU, but something (partially) new. Admittedly, there are still films set in the DCEU coming our way after The Flash, such as Wonder Woman 3, Aquaman 2 and Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

The question is, is the DCEU those films are part of the same as the one we know at the moment, or will the franchise look completely different after Barry works his time-bending magic in his solo film? Only time will tell (no pun intended).

What does Michael Keaton’s Batman mean for Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader?

It appears that Keaton will take the reins of our beloved Dark Knight from Ben Affleck… but how will that happen? After all, Affleck will portray Bruce Wayne in The Flash, so could it be that his interpretation of everyone’s favorite brooding billionaire is being replaced by an alternate-reality version of the same character? It’s a possibility, and it’s worth noting that Batman on Film also claimed that The Flash would serve as Ben Affleck’s Batman’s swan song.

Having said that, we still need to take that with a grain of salt, especially because there is another bit of information that seemingly (at least partially) contradicts the above report. In the aforementioned Vanity Fair article, Andy Muschietti stated that Affleck would be a pivotal component of the film’s emotional side:

"“He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before […] It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.”"

Taking that quote at face value, it could mean that Affleck will indeed play a significant role in The Flash.

Admittedly, given Muschietti’s remarks about the character being important to the film’s emotional punch, it’s also not out of the realm of possibility that we will be saying goodbye to Affleck’s version of the Caped Crusader in the Scarlet Speedster’s solo adventure.

The Flash is currently slated to run into theaters on November 4, 2022.

What do you make of this news? Do you think Michael Keaton will indeed become the DCEU’s new Batman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!