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According to recent rumors, Michael Keaton will appear in the upcoming Batgirl movie, slated for a rumored 2022 release date on HBO Max. If true, this would be his second outing as the caped crusader in a DCEU film after The Flash (2022).
As per the hints in the first-look teaser of The Flash released at DC Fandom, Michael Keaton is expected to be portraying the same version of Bruce Wayne/Batman from Tim Burton's Batman (1989).
Keaton's casting for the upcoming film has not been officially confirmed by Warner Bros. But he will join Leslie Grace and J.K. Simmons on the roster of the film. Michael Keaton's Batman is expected to be a mentor figure to Leslie's Batgirl (Barbara Gordon) while working alongside Barbara's father, GCPD Commissioner Jim Gordon.
What does Michael Keaton's rumored return as Batman mean for Ben Affleck's DCEU Batman?
Given that The Flash movie is based on the Flashpoint comic event, Ezra Miller's Barry Allen may go back in time to reset the entire DCEU timeline. This could mean that Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne is entirely written out of the DCEU continuity after the actor's comments about being Batman in future movies.
Like in the Batman Beyond comic series, Keaton's Bruce Wayne may take up the mantle of the old version of the character. He could be a mentor figure like he did for Terry McGinnis in the comic and animated series.
Affleck, who is set to return in The Flash, recently spoke about the failure of his latest film, The Last Duel, at the box office. He told The Playlist:
"Once that happened with The Last Duel, I thought, 'Well, that's probably the last theatrical release I'll have.' Because I don't want to do IP movies where you have this sort of built-in audience…"
Ben Affleck's decision not to be involved in IP movies certainly includes future Batman projects. Thus, it is highly likely that DCEU is using the Flashpoint event to replace Affleck's version of the Caped Crusader with Michael Keaton's one. DC similarly used the event to introduce revamped versions of the characters with the New 52 comics.
Fans react to Keaton's potential continuation as Batman
Several rejoiced at the news of Keaton continuing as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Meanwhile, another section of fans were disheartened about Affleck departing from the role.
Batgirl is currently in production, spearheaded by directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah of Bad Boys for Life fame and writer Christina Hodson (The Flash).
