Michael Keaton Reportedly in Talks to Appear as Batman in 'Flash' Movie

Michael Keaton is reportedly in talks to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne, whom he portrayed in Tim Burton's two Batman movies in the '80s and '90s. Both The Hollywood Reporter and The Wrap report that Keaton has been talking with the studio about returning to the character for DC's The Flash, a standalone movie focused on Ezra Miller's portrayal of the titular character.

Miller is already on board with the project, and It filmmaker Andy Muschietti will be directing it. Word on Keaton's involvement is that he could be taking on a role in the DC cinematic universe that's similar to Nick Fury in the MCU, meaning he could be turning up as Wayne in multiple projects. The last time Keaton played the character was in 1992's Batman Returns, but he played an actor who had once played a Batman-like character in the 2014 film Birdman. He returned to the world of superhero movies proper in 2017 as the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, and he's rumored to reprise that role in Sony's Spider-Man spin-off Morbius.

Interestingly, Keaton's role as the caped crusader will have little impact on Robert Pattinson's The Batman, which the studio is considering as separate to the rest of the DC slate. The Flash is expected to start filming next year, with a scheduled release date of June 3, 2022. Both reports have indicated that the film will deal with time travel and the use of multiple dimensions, which would explain how Keaton might play the same version of Batman he first did over 30 years ago.