As you might expect, there's a huge amount of excitement surrounding the news that Batman Returns star Michael Keaton is in talks to reprise the role of the Caped Crusader in The Flash. He's reportedly going to have a recurring presence in the DC Extended Universe moving forward, mentoring Batgirl, and continuing the story of his version of the hero from that 1991 sequel.
Now, though, a new rumour shared by Jeremy Conrad (via CBR) claims that if the talks between Warner Bros. and Keaton don't pan out, the studio is hoping to cast The Dark Knight Trilogy's Christian Bale.
However, it's noted that there are no plans to approach Ben Affleck about a possible return as Batman.
This is very, very hard to believe. Bale has made it clear on countless occasions that he would only consider returning as Bruce Wayne if director Christopher Nolan was involved, and despite his role in Thor: Love and Thunder (which would lead to a potential clash in production schedules), it's not like the English actor is a franchise player who wants to take on a role like this.
Talking of unfounded rumours, we've heard rumblings that Michelle Pfeiffer could be next to be approached for The Flash should things would out with Keaton. We've not been able to confirm that with a second source, hence why it's not posted on the site as an exclusive, but it's looking like the plan could be to continue Bruce Wayne and Catwoman's story after Tim Burton left things on a cliffhanger in Batman Returns.
We'll see what happens but, as always, you'll find all the latest updates here on CBM.