There could potentially be three different actors (Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, and Robert Pattinson) playing Batman in movies between 2021 and 2022. Just as there've been multiple James Bonds, there are several actors who've donned the cape and cowl on the big screen over the years (some of whom have even gone on to become superhero movie icons thanks to their performances). Keaton, in particular, was an outside - and controversial - choice to portray the psychologically-scarred billionaire vigilante prior to being cast, but is now considered by many to be the best cinematic Caped Crusader of all time.
For that reason, people are understandably excited by reports of Keaton being in talks to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Flash DCEU solo movie. Reportedly based on the famous Flashpoint comic book storyline, the film will follow Ezra Miller's Barry Allen as he tries to travel back in time and save his mother from being killed when he was younger. In doing so, he inadvertently creates an alternate universe (e.g. Flashpoint) where Gotham City is now protected - or was protected - by Keaton's Batman.
Because of this, there may end up being three different stars playing Batman over the next two years. In addition to Keaton costarring in The Flash movie, Affleck will return as Bruce Wayne in Zack Snyder's Justice League, and Pattinson will don the cape and cowl for The Batman. Let's break them down.
Although he's formally retired from playing Batman in the DCEU, Affleck will return to the role when Snyder's cut of Justice League streams on HBO Max in 2021. This version of the franchise's crossover event will be very different from the one screened in theaters, both in terms of plot and Affleck's interpretation of his DCEU character. Whereas the Oscar-winner ended up delivering a relatively jokey turn as the Caped Crusader in the theatrical cut thanks to Joss Whedon's reshoots, his performance in Snyder's Justice League ought to hew much closer to his broody acting from Batman V Superman. At the same time, Batfleck will be far more idealistic here than he was in that film, his faith in humanity having been restored by Superman's selfless sacrifice. Snyder's Justice League still isn't expected to impact the DCEU in the future, though it will technically co-exist as part of the larger DC multiverse along with Whedon's version.
Directed by Matt Reeves and currently scheduled to open in October 2021, The Batman will serve as a soft reboot of the DCEU continuity and introduce a younger version of Bruce Wayne (played by Pattinson), along with a different take on Commission Gordon (with Jeffrey Wright assuming the role from J.K. Simmons in Justice League). With the DCEU now focusing more on standalone movies and less on interconnected storytelling in the vein of the MCU, Reeves' film isn't expected to have too many ties to the rest of the franchise. Beyond recasting Gordon and Bruce Wayne, it shouldn't really contradict the previous entries in any major ways either, what with it being (in theory) set well before the events of Batman V Superman and Justice League. Hopefully, this will give Reeves the freedom he needs to explore his own noir-flavored crime drama narrative and truly leave his mark on the Caped Crusader.
The Flash, as mentioned earlier, will reportedly adapt the Flashpoint storyline, with Andy Muschietti directing from a screenplay by Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson. According to initial reports, the movie will pick up with Keaton's version of Bruce Wayne in real-time after the events of 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, revealing what he's been up to over the years and ignoring the events of the Keaton-less sequels Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Thanks to the Flashpoint alternate universe, the actor should have plenty of room to come in and put his stamp on the role once again, rather than having to play an older version of either Affleck or Pattinson's Caped Crusaders. All things considered, it ought to provide an exciting acting challenge for Keaton, allowing him to tap into his deep history with the Batman character and become the first person to play a truly "old" live-action iteration of Bruce Wayne on the big screen (in the vein of Batman Beyond).
At the time of writing, Keaton hasn't officially committed to becoming part of the DCEU, and his involvement is unlikely to be confirmed until DC FanDome (a recently-announced 24-hour virtual convention covering all things DC) takes place on August 22. If he does, however, he could reportedly end up playing an overarching role in the franchise moving forward (similar to Nick Fury in the MCU), and even help set the stage for the Batgirl movie that Hodson's also writing. So, here's hoping Keaton signs on the dotted line for The Flash movie and we get to see three unique portrayals of Batman between now and the latter's scheduled premiere date in June 2022.
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