The internet was buzzing yesterday with the news that Michael Keaton may be donning the cape and cowl once again to reprise his role as Batman in the upcoming Flash movie. Ezra Miller is set to return to the titular role, with It director Andy Muschietti at the helm. The plan reportedly will have Keaton popping up in various DCEU films akin to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the MCU. Unlike nearly every other fanboy out there, I don’t think this is a good idea.
Michael Keaton still exemplifies the notion of not jumping to conclusions when casting is announced. No one thought Mr. Mom was right for the role of Batman, and yet he remains nearly everyone’s favorite actor to have portrayed him (Kevin Conroy notwithstanding, but he doesn’t count because he IS Batman). Fans have hoped for years Keaton would return to play Batman again, many wishing for an age-appropriate Batman Beyond adaptation (myself included), and with Keaton verbally willing to return, there has been at least a glimmer of hope that it might happen in some form or another. However, joining Warner Bros. troubled DCEU is not that hope.
Marvel has proven they can create a cohesive, shared universe better than anyone, but having little Marvel feature films to begin with, it was pretty much a clean slate when Iron Man debuted. Outside of franchises that they did not have the film rights to, like Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four and the X-Men, Marvel was able to start the cinematic universe from the ground up. DC, on the other hand, has had decades of film and television projects that were not connected to one another. From the films like the Christopher Reeves Superman franchise, Tim Burton’s Batman run, Joel Schumacher’s Batman movies, Joker, Jonah Hex, Steel, Super Girl, Catwoman, Green Lantern, Constantine and Swamp Thing, to TV series like Wonder Woman, The Hulk, Shazam!, The Flash (90s version), Swamp Thing (90s and 2019 versions), Superboy, Lois & Clark, Constantine, Birds of Prey, Smallville, Krypton, Gotham, Titans, Doom Patrol, Pennyworth and the self-contained CW shows Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow, DC has proven that an overall shared universe has not been a priority whatsoever.
That all changed with Zack Snyder’s’ Man of Steel. Suddenly, Warner Bros. Was eager to jump on Marvel’s coattails after the studio was putting out one smash hit after another, all of which were brilliantly woven together. Marvel created a money-making system that required fans to (eagerly) see every film to fully understand what was happening in the franchise. DC was in a pretty decent position to replicate this, with their entire comic catalog under the Warner Bros. umbrella, so it made perfect sense that they would attempt their own shared universe. The trouble began when they followed up Man of Steel with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Unlike Marvel, who established (most of) their heroes one by one in their own solo films before crossing them all over in Infinity War and End Game, Superman was immediately brought in with Batman, with the greater DC franchise hinted at (like Wonder Woman’s inexplicable appearance). This move made sense as we sure as heck didn’t need another Batman film to establish the character, and Supes and Batman have a long history together in the comics. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t a terribly good film. Wonder Woman made great strides in righting the ship, but then, rather than establishing the rest of the Justice League in their own films, Warner Bros. jumped right into the famously doomed Justice League (fingers crossed that the Snyder Cut will redeem the film). Though Aquaman’s solo film and the DCEU expanding Shazam! helped move the franchise in the right direction, the same can’t be said of Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey. Overall, the DCEU has been muddy, to say the least, especially compared to the MCU.
Which leads us to The Flash, which has been in development hell since its conception. It has already been through numerous directors, including Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies writer Seth Grahame-Smith, Dope director Rick Famuyiwa, and the team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. On top of that, Ezra Miller was accused of choking a female fan and throwing her to the ground at a bar in Iceland, putting his future in the DCEU in question.
The Flash film is reported to revolve around a Flashpoint storyline, involving not just time travel but inter-dimensional travel as well. The CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event proved that DC is more than willing to play in the multiverse sandbox. The annual sweeps week episodes went beyond the regular fan service offering of crossing over the shows Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow by crossing the shows over with not just other CW DC series like Batwoman, Stargirl and Black Lightning, but also the original 60s Batman series, Tim Burton’s Batman, Batman: The Animated Series, Smallville, the 90s Flash TV series, the Birds of Prey TV series, Lucifer, Titans and many others. Most notably, and perhaps most surprising, was the appearance of Ezra Miller’s Flash from Justice League, marking the first connection between the DCEU and CW’s DC television universe. A connection, it should be noted, that Warner Bros. had said for years would never happen.
With Burton’s Batman (specifically, Robert Wuhl’s Alexander Knox) established as part of the DC multiverse, this obviously opens the door for Keaton to return. But is this really how we want him to return? As a desperate attempt to make something of the floundering DCEU? Keaton deserves much better than that. Don’t taint Michael Keaton’s brief but stellar run as Batman/Bruce Wayne by bringing him in as some sort of hail Mary. He should not be used as a Band Aid to fix the troubled franchise. He deserves his own film completely separate from the mess that is the DCEU. Bring him back to portray the aged Bruce Wayne in a Batman Beyond film (Keaton’s Bruce was stronger than his Batman anyway), or in a proper Frank Miller Dark Knight Returns adaptation. Heck, as icing on the cake, allow him to complete the trilogy by bringing back Tim Burton to direct. Just imagine Warner Bros. announcing a Batman Beyond film at San Diego Comic-Con, followed by Keaton and Burton walking out on to the stage. That level of excitement could be measured on a Richter scale.
Should this appearance in The Flash actually happen and should this lead to other appearances in the DCEU, my hope is that it does in fact lead to another solo Michael Keaton Batman film. With the multiverse established, it is well within the realms of possibilities. With any luck, that is Warner Bros. game plan, though as we’ve seen in the past, planning ahead isn’t exactly the studio’s strong suit.
I am not sure if I will hold my breath for a stand-alone film, but I get your point. My hope is that this time they do have the foresight, Keaton’s return breathes new life in the DCEU and that leads to the type of film you are hoping for. Maybe with some financial successes under their belt DC can acquire the talent needed to rein in a more cohesive satisfying universe.