Michael Keaton Addresses Ever Returning as Batman

Michael Keaton hasn’t closed the door completely on the possibility of returning to the role of Batman — but he also isn’t lying awake at night hoping for more. The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice star told Josh Horowitz on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that a potential return to his most famous role would depend entirely on circumstance, admitting that “everything depends on something else,” and implying that the failure of The Flash and the cancellation of Batgirl (Keaton said he hadn’t seen Batgirl, either) has not put a final exclamation point on his time as Bruce Wayne — even if it might look that way.

Keaton’s attitude seems to be the healthiest approach you could have: he’s open to anything, but not waiting on it. After all, it took thirty years before The Flash happened, so it wouldn’t make a lot of sense to assume the next opportunity is just waiting around teh corner.

“I don’t think about it much,” Keaton admitted, but added, “Never say never, I don’t think. Everything depends upon something else.”

You can see his full interview below.

Keaton’s Dark Knight was expected to return in Batgirl and other movies, where he would reportedly have served as a mentor figure to younger superheroes, not unlike the role he played in The Flash. The cancellation of Batgirl and the failure of The Flash reportedly killed a planned Batman Beyond movie that would have starred Keaton as an aging Bruce Wayne training the next Batman, and then James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DC Universe came along to uproot everything that Warners has done since 2012.

The Flash is availabel on disc and digital now, promising to reshape the DC Multiverse with the help of familiar faces and brand-new heroes. Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) ventures to the past to change history, resulting in massive repercussions for the future. Forced to team up with another version of Barry, the mysterious Kryptonian known as Supergirl (Sasha Calle), and the iconic Batman (Michael Keaton), the Scarlet Speedster is forced to reckon with his mistakes and save a doomed reality. The Flash is directed by Andy Muschietti, written by Christina Hodson from a story by Joby Harold, and produced by Barbara Muschietti.

The movie is streaming now on Max.