Scrapped Plans For Michael Keaton's BATMAN Reveal He Would Have Served as DCEU's "Nick Fury"

Scrapped Plans For Michael Keaton's BATMAN Reveal He Would Have Served as DCEU's "Nick Fury"

Scrapped plans for Michael Keaton's Batman going forward in the DCEU reveal that Keaton would have served as a "Nick Fury" mentor figure!

By JonathanDan - Jun 19, 2023 06:06 PM EST
Filed Under: DC Studios
Source: The Direct

No doubt a huge selling point for fans to catch a screening of The Flash film had to have been the highly-anticipated return of Michael Keaton's Batman, who finally reprisied his iconic role for the first time as The Caped Crusader since Batman Returns in 30 years.  

By now, many of us are familiar with the alternate endings The Flash film had prior to DC being put under new leadership by now co-CEO's James Gunn and Peter Safran, as the original ending would have seen Keaton's Batman, and Sasha Calle's Supergirl much alive following the events of the Flashpoint timeline, and being integrated in the DC universe as a result of Barry Allen fixing the timeline.

This original ending would have kept Keaton in the DCEU, and play a more sharpened mentor-like figure to the more inexperienced superheroes of the DCEU -- the plan was for Keaton to serve as the "Nick Fury" for the DCEU going onwards. This new role would have been most evident in the now cancelled Batgirl solo-film, as Keaton's role would have been a "pivotal cameo"; popping in and out throughout the film as a now retired Batman.

Reportedly, Keaton had subsequently filmed a cameo in the upcoming Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom film, which is set to release December later this year, but of course, it is most likely that footage will ultimately be cut from the final version of the film. Although, the significance of the aforementioned footage has not been revealed to how it would affect the film.

Finally, the other Batman project that will not be seeing the light of day, was the cancelled live-action Batman Beyond film, in which, Keaton's Batman would have even more so been past his prime, and essentially seen him pass the mantle of Batman down to a much younger ally; perhaps a Robin he would have taken under his mentorship.

Ultimately it appears Keaton would have played quite a busy role as Bruce Wayne/Batman had Gunn and Safran never taken leadership, but seeing him return in The Flash, even if it was for the final time was surely a treat in it of itself.

Worlds collide when the Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian -- albeit not the one he's looking for.

The Flash is a 2023 American superhero film based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. Produced by DC Studios, Double Dream, and The Disco Factory, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the 13th installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film is directed by Andy Muschietti from a screenplay by Christina Hodson and stars Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash alongside Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, and Michael Keaton. In the film, Barry travels back in time to prevent his mother's death, which brings unintended consequences in the process.

THE FLASH's Sasha Calle Says It Was Heartbreaking To Be Replaced As Supergirl After Signing Multi-Film Deal
Related:

THE FLASH's Sasha Calle Says It Was "Heartbreaking" To Be Replaced As Supergirl After Signing Multi-Film Deal

DC Studios CEO James Gunn Responds To Fan Who Asks Why New DCU Doesn't Include Aquaman And The Flash
Recommended For You:

DC Studios CEO James Gunn Responds To Fan Who Asks Why New DCU Doesn't Include Aquaman And The Flash

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

UncleHarm1
UncleHarm1 - 6/19/2023, 6:19 PM
Batman's parents would be so disappointed. Oh wait
Knightrider
Knightrider - 6/19/2023, 6:47 PM
I just can’t understand how the DCEU, or whatever it was called, thought it was a good idea to take Batman and make him be in his twilight years.
I get the comicbook BvS was based on, but the movie also includes the Death of Superman so they were taking liberties with the material.
I think audiences wanted to see these characters coming together in their prime for a JL movie

I’m sorry for the people who worked on BatGirl but I am glad it was cancelled as I didn’t want to see a Batman who is retired who I haven’t even seen in his prime.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 6/20/2023, 3:20 AM
@Knightrider - You'd kinda maybe have, in Burton movies, if they were trying to make some type of composite universe. But I'm not sure if that's what they were really doing anyway.
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 6/19/2023, 6:51 PM
WB [frick]ing sucks when it comes to DC 😑
Mrcool210
Mrcool210 - 6/19/2023, 6:58 PM
Haven't we known this for like years now?
LSHF
LSHF - 6/19/2023, 11:21 PM
@Mrcool210 - Yes (it sure seems like it, anyway).
AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 6/19/2023, 6:59 PM
Keaton is a legend and the way WB has treated his is disgusting. They cancelled his film, a supporting role in Batgirl and Cut two after credit scenes😐....




Unbelievable 🤕
DrReedRichards
DrReedRichards - 6/19/2023, 7:41 PM
Riveting.
DanFlashesShirt
DanFlashesShirt - 6/19/2023, 7:54 PM
Good. worst idea they had over there for the DCEU.

I’d wanna see a batman beyond movie set in like 2080, not 2030 or whatever
dracula
dracula - 6/19/2023, 8:35 PM
if you need a nick fury use Amanda Waller
valmic
valmic - 6/19/2023, 9:26 PM
The Batman Beyond one hurts my heart. He was so perfect for it. Seeing how Kevin Conroy was kind of a continuation of his Batman, Keaton could have been the continuation of Conroys. It just seems so poetic.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 6/20/2023, 5:10 AM
@micvalpro - It would be perfect, if done right. But the way they were doing it was all [frick]ed up. Classic DCEU. It was Batman Beyond but set in the present in the early days of the Justice League. Barbara Gordon Batgirl and Terry McGinnis would have been contemporaries.
valmic
valmic - 6/20/2023, 10:45 AM
@ObserverIO - I know but it would have been better than nothing. Who knows now if we’ll ever get Batman Beyond with Gunn in charge. It’d probably be another 30 years if ever.
Vanillain
Vanillain - 6/19/2023, 10:40 PM
How WB have had the entirety of DC this whole time and not have capitalized and even popularized a cinematic universe is beyond me.
LeonNova
LeonNova - 6/19/2023, 11:42 PM
@Vanillain - I mean, they definitely tried, they just did a horrible job at it. I wouldn’t say WB is as bad as Fox with X-Men. They had that property for nearly 2 decades and barely even scratched the surface of possibilities.
LSHF
LSHF - 6/19/2023, 11:22 PM
I would have been okay with that, but then I'm easy to please with movies.
LeonNova
LeonNova - 6/19/2023, 11:54 PM
I’d be behind a “The Dark Knight Returns” or “Batman Beyond” movie starring Keaton, but the idea of him becoming the DCEU’s main Batman always sounded silly to me. It was great to see him again in The Flash, it just sucks that his return had to be dragged down by WB’s incompetence.
dagenspear
dagenspear - 6/20/2023, 3:46 AM
For this, here are the ideas, LORD willing, that He has blessed me with:

Barry time travels, causes a time boom, a ripple throughout the timeline. Make Thomas Wayne the Batman in The Flash movie. He finds out that his son became a killer like he did in the previous timeline. Feels massive regret. Seeks to help Barry repair the timeline and fix all his mistakes and help his son (fighting for the first time not for revenge, but a future for his son in a new timeline). Reveal that Cavill Kal-Ek is apart of Zod's army in this new timeline. Kara, him being her only family left, fights to rescue him, and in doing so, is able to convince him of humanity's right to live (as she herself grows to understand it) Barry alters the past again, returns to a world with a classical Batman, have a moment of resolution where Affleck Bruce makes peace with his dad and reveal Cavill Superman as a classical Superman, with Kara at his side as a hero. Cameo of Amy Adams Lois with her and Clark getting married and her being pregnant. Gal Gadot Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa Aquaman in attendance. Show that Wonder Woman and Batman are together. Maybe Cyborg is there as a public hero, whose liked by the people.

Maybe even make the villain Darkseid instead of Zod, and Kal-El his brainwashed zealot who was found as a baby when his ship was diverted from it's path. With the Darksied idea, this basically fully closes off the main timeline story of the DCEU and resolves the current structure of story, giving closure to this world moreso.

Then you can have a post credits scene, showing Barry see other universes, and showing the new DCU.

Or even do a thing where the time traveling creates separate composite universes, where everything I posted above happens, but with a reveal that Barry's timeline has been placed in another universe, and a everything that Gunn wants to keep in the original universe is still there.

Or it could've all been simplified and everything been changed in this timeline, including Barry.
ObserverIO
ObserverIO - 6/20/2023, 5:25 AM
@dagenspear - #ReleaseTheFlashSnyderCut

How they didn't utilise the ending of this movie to set up continuity is beyond me. That's the purpose of the movie in the first place.

Showing other universes such as Todd Phillips Joker, Matt Reeves Batman, Superman and Lois etc to show they are separate and tease their upcoming continuations, then showing the Snyderverse to reassure the Snyder Cult that it's still exists, etc... missed opportunities.

But showing the new DCU was imperative. I cannot believe they chose to go with George Clooney instead because they found it funny.
Odin
Odin - 6/20/2023, 5:53 AM
@dagenspear -

There! That's the awesome movie I would've gladly paid to see. Ad the little details @ObserverIO mentioned, and we got a homerun.
View Recorder