Michael Keaton’s Batman May Appear In Batgirl Movie After The Flash

Michael Keaton’s Batman might appear in the DCEU’s Batgirl after cameoing in The Flash. Keaton  memorably played Bruce Wayne in both 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns; to this day, he’s still considered one of the best Batmans seen on the big screen. While Keaton returned to comic book films for Spider-Man: Homecoming, he stayed away from the DC world for several years. Now, however, that’s set to change, as news broke earlier today that Keaton might once again play Batman in the long-awaited Flash movie. His role in the film isn’t completely confirmed, but as The Flash isn’t scheduled until 2022, there’s plenty of time to make it happen.

Meanwhile, Batgirl is one of the many DC films that have been floating around in development for several years. Joss Whedon was initially attached to write and direct the film, which will reportedly center on the Barbara Gordon version of the character. However, Whedon stepped away in early 2018, and development on Batgirl seemed to stall. Warner Bros. is reportedly looking for a female director to  take over, though no one has been hired yet. However, Birds of Prey screenwriter Christina Hodson joined the project months after Whedon left, signalling that there might be a script ready for production.

So much of Batgirl still has to be worked out, but once it gets moving again, Keaton could join the team. THR writer Borys Kit revealed on social media that Keaton’s Batman is being considered for several different DC films, with Batgirl being the only one he mentioned. This Batman would become something of a mentor in the DCEU, which hints at the role he would play within Batgirl.

Truthfully, having Keaton’s Batman as a mentor would make far more sense in Batgirl than it would in The Flash. Aside from Batgirl being one of Batman’s main allies, Ezra Miller’s Flash has already interacted with a Batman in his universe: Ben Affleck’s. However, seeing as The Flash is said to be adapting the Flashpoint storyline from the comics, there could be a reality shift within that film that allows for multiple Batmans. That would explain Keaton’s appearance and would then open things up for him to appear in additional DCEU films, should everything go as planned.

It would certainly be a thrill to see Keaton back in the cowl, and it would be even more interesting to see him adopt a mentor persona for younger heroes like Batgirl. Seeing as The Flash currently has a release date and Batgirl doesn’t even have a director or a star, it’ll likely be some time before further details regarding Keaton’s potential role in the latter emerges. Still, this is an exciting possibility, and fans can’t wait to learn more.