Batman ’89 is back in style. Michael Keaton suits up as Batman in a reported costume test revealing the new Batsuit. Because the Burtonverse Batman returns in two upcoming movies out of the DC universe, it’s unclear if the purported first look is from Keaton’s role in Batgirl (expected later in 2022 on HBO Max) or The Flash (in theaters 2023). With director Andy Muschietti’s multiversal Flash movie now running late and racing into theaters next year, Batgirl will mark Keaton’s first time donning the cape and cowl since Tim Burton’s Batman Returns in 1992.
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The reported image shows Keaton in a modernized version of the suit he first wore in Burton’s Batman in 1989, complete with the iconic yellow Bat symbol on black armor.
Concept art for The Flash first confirmed Keaton’s 30-years-older Dark Knight would be back in black in 2020. A closer look at Keaton’s Batman 2.0 Batsuit later surfaced on a painted mural on the set of Batgirl before set photos captured a stuntwork version of the updated costume Keaton will wear in The Flash.
“When it came around again, I was getting curious about it. I thought, ‘Boy, what would that be like?’ And then, coincidentally, there were murmurs, I got a call from Warner Bros. They wanted to talk to me about something, and there were hints of Batman,” Keaton said recently on The Jess Cagle Show. “I think it was about some other thing regarding Batman … I got a call later saying, ‘We want you to read something.’ I just thought, ‘Of course you have to do this.’”
For his Batman return in The Flash, Keaton added, “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 it’s really creative. I don’t know. It’s fun.”
Batgirl is expected to premiere later in 2022 on HBO Max. The Flash opens only in theaters June 23, 2023.
