Michael Keaton played the Dark Knight in Batman and Batman Returns, but declined to return as Bruce Wayne when filmmaker Tim Burton decided to step away as director for a more commercially friendly third instalment. Needless to say, we never expected to see the actor don the cape and cowl again.
Of course, he's never shied away from superhero projects, eventually joining Spider-Man: Homecoming as the villainous Vulture. Despite that, the genre isn't one he spends much time consuming as a viewer!
"I know people don’t believe this, that I’ve never seen an entire version of any of those movies - any Marvel movie, any other. And I don’t say that I don’t watch that because I’m highbrow - trust me! It’s not that," he tells Variety. "It’s just that there’s very little things I watch. I start watching something, and think it is great and I watch three episodes, but I have other shit to do!"
That's fair enough, but we are pleased he didn't suffer through Morbius!
As for his return as Batman in The Flash and Batgirl, Keaton confirmed that the reason he decided to come back was simple: "It seemed like fun."
"I was curious what it would be like after this many years. Not so much me doing it - obviously, some of that - but I was just curious about it, weirdly, socially. This whole thing is gigantic," the actor continued. "They have their entirely own world. So, I like to look at it as an outsider, thinking 'Holy moly!'"
When the trade pointed out that Bruce Wayne is a character who has changed a lot on screen since Keaton last played him, all he would say to that, with a smirk, is, "Not mine."
There appears to be a lot of confusion at Warner Bros. when it comes to the DC Extended Universe's future, especially amid reports that Ben Affleck has actually replaced Keaton in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom! If the studio is hoping to bring its live-action Caped Crusaders together on screen, Spider-Man: No Way Home-style, then they need to get a proper plan in place.
The Flash is set to race into theaters on June 23, 2023.