Michael Keaton Could Reprise His Role As Batman In 'Flashpoint'

Most of us have our own opinion on the greatest actor to have played the role of Batman. And while opinion varies drastically on who portrayed the Caped Crusader best, it sounds like one of the best might be coming back, more than three decades since he first stepped into his Batsuit.

Yes, Michael Keaton - who played Bruce Wayne and his superhero alter-ego in Tim Burton's acclaimed 1989 adaptation of the DC superhero franchise, as well as its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns - is reportedly in talks to reprise his role as the billionaire crime fighter for the forthcoming movie Flashpoint.

DC/Warner Bros.

Flashpoint is the latest entry in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) franchise, which also incorporates Aquaman, Wonder Woman and more. It will star Ezra Miller as The Flash, and is likely to link up with the character's roles in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Good news for comics fans, basically.

Although a deal hasn't yet been completed, The Wrap reports that Keaton is in talks to once again play Bruce Wayne/Batman in the film. The report goes on to say that talks are in very early stages, with nothing definite at this point, and no word on 'how big or small' the role might be.

This comes after he appeared in Marvel's Spider-Man films as the Vulture. He also played the lead role in 2014's Oscar-winning Birdman, in which an actor tries to come to terms with his late career having become famous for an earlier role as a superhero. Very meta.

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So while he may not have set foot inside the Batcave for almost three decades, it seems that superheroes are still very close to Keaton's heart.

What does this say about the future of Batman? Well, no one really knows, but it does suggest - in this movie at least - that the perennially youthful, never-aging superhero trope might be coming to an end.

And for anyone wondering where this leaves future Batman movies, it seems unlikely that the forthcoming Matt Reeves-directed movie The Batman - which stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne - will be affected. As for how these varying iterations of the Caped Crusader fit into the various strands of the DCEU... well, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Topics: TV and Film, Batman

Mischa Pearlman

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]