Michael Keaton Reveals Why He Returned as Batman in The Flash

When The Flash finally debuts in theaters next summer, it will be bringing about some significant surprises to the live-action DC multiverse. Chief among that will be the return of Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne / Batman, who will be making his onscreen return for the first time in decades. It’s already seemed like Keaton’s return to Batman will be significant, with the actor already confirmed to be returning in the upcoming Batgirl movie as well. Still, some fans have wondered what made Keaton want to put on the cowl once again — something that he explained in a recent interview with Variety.

“It seemed like fun,” Keaton explained. “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. They have their entirely own world. So, I like to look at it as an outsider, thinking ‘Holy moly!’”

This echoes comments Keaton has made in previous interviews, where he’s argued that curiosity and excitement were ultimately the prevailing emotions bringing him back.

“When it came around again, first of all, I was getting curious about it. I thought, ‘Boy, what would that be like?’ And then, coincidentally, there were murmurs, and I got a call from Warner Bros. They wanted to talk to me about something and there was hints of Batman,” Keaton said of his The Flash return while appearing on The Jess Cagle Show late last year. “It has to be good. There’s no reason to do it if it’s not good. It’s not gonna really change anything. And I just jumped in and had fun. And why would you not? You know, I mean, director Andy Muschietti is fantastic, and he’s really creative. I don’t know. It’s fun.”

The Flash is set to be directed by IT‘s Muschietti, with a script from Birds of Prey and Batgirl’s Christina Hodson. It will star Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash, both Ben Affleck and Keaton’s iterations of Bruce Wayne / Batman, as well as Sasha Calle as Supergirl, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen, Ian Loh as a young Barry Allen, and Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Rudy Mancuso playing currently-unknown roles.

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The Flash is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 23, 2023.