Despite the ongoing negativity surrounding Ezra Miller's role as Barry Allen, plenty of fans were excited for The Flash. Why? Well, primarily because it was set to feature the return of Michael Keaton as Batman.
Original plans called for his Bruce Wayne to remain in the DCEU, with Ben Affleck's version lost somewhere in the Multiverse (a plot point the scrapped Crisis on Infinite Earths movie was set to pick up on). In the interim, the idea was for Keaton to show up as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Batgirl, and eventually a Batman Beyond movie.
The latter would have given the DCEU a new, younger Caped Crusader in the former of Terry McGinnis; Michelle Pfeiffer, meanwhile, was being eyed to suit up as Catwoman again.
Keaton shot his roles in the Aquaman sequel and Batgirl, only to be cut from the former when DC Studios decided to reboot the DCEU as the DCU. As for Batgirl, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made the controversial decision to scrap the near-completed movie rather than release it in theaters or on streaming.
Because of that, the studio recouped most of its losses by marking Batgirl down as a tax write-off.
Asked by Josh Horowitz whether he ever got to watch the movie which starred Leslie Grace, J.K. Simmons, and Brendan Fraser, Keaton said, "No. [I] saw parts of it, but it was a done deal."
Pushed on whether he belives his time as Batman is now finally over, the actor responded, "I don't think about it much...never say never. I don't think - everything's dependent upon something else, I guess."
The Flash bombed at the box office but received mostly positive reviews. Unfortunately, it failed to live up to the hype of being "the greatest superhero movie ever made" and ended up being considered a disappointment. Keaton, however, receiveed widespread praise for his work as Batman.
Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to.
That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian...albeit not the one he's looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
The movie stars Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdu, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton.
The Flash is now streaming on Max.