No disrespect to the late, great Adam West but I think we can all agree that Michael Keaton was the first "proper" live-action version of Batman and it no longer comes as a surprise how fans hold his portrayal of the caped crusader in such high regard. However, Keaton's time as the Dark Knight was short-lived, and after Batman Returns received mixed reactions from fans and critics for being much darker and twisted than its predecessor, the actor quietly left the franchise.
For years, fans have been clamoring to see Keaton return to the DC franchise in a Batman Beyond or The Dark Knight Returns project but it was evident that the acting legend distanced himself from the conversation for the longest time. Now, 30 years after he last played the role of Bruce Wayne, Michael will be making his triumphant return as Batman in The Flash which is set to explore the multiverse.
The Spider-Man: Homecoming actor recently caught up with The Hollywood Reporter about his monumental comeback to the DC Universe. When asked what made him decide to accept the project, Keaton revealed that he wanted to challenge himself and see if he still has what it takes to don the iconic cape and cowl.
Keaton explains: Frankly, in the back of my head, I always thought, ‘I bet I could go back and nail that motherf*cker'. And so I thought, ‘Well, now that they're asking me, let me see if I can pull that off'. I had to read it more than three times to go, ‘Wait, how does this work?'. By the way, I'm not being arrogant, I hope, about this. I don't say it like, ‘I'm too groovy'. I'm stupid. There's a lot of things I don't know about. And so, I don't know, I just kind of figured it out, but this was different.
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I'm part of the majority of the DC fandom who have been wishing to see him back as Batman and I still have to pinch myself sometimes over the idea that my favorite Batman actor is finally making his grand comeback. Sure, the DCEU is one giant mess right now but I have faith that Andy Muschietti and the rest of the film's cast and crew will give us something truly memorable.
The Flash is slated for release in November 2022.
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