Michael Keaton returning to play Batman for one film, and he's not alone

ByChloe Melas, CNN WPVI logo
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Michael Keaton returning to play Batman...for one film
Some fans thought Michael Keaton was returning to take over the franchise again.

PHILADELPHIA -- Is Michael Keaton taking over as Batman?

When The New York Times reported that DC Films' plans to have Keaton reprise his role as Batman in "The Flash," some fans took it as Keaton would be Batman permanently in the DC Extended Universe.

But Brooks Barnes, the writer of the piece, has clarified that Keaton will only be in "one film."

"Been offline (moving apartments) and return to see this Michael Keaton craziness," he wrote. "I was referring to the *one film* that Keaton has been announced as being in, not a set of his own Batman films. If I had info on him beyond 'The Flash," I would have obviously put it in my article."

Meanwhile, "The Flash" doesn't come out until November 2022, so fans will have to wait.

Keaton played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman" and then the sequel "Batman Returns" in 1992. He was eventually replaced by Val Kilmer in the 1995 film "Batman Forever," after Keaton refused to continue starring as the superhero after Burton was dropped as director of the franchise.

Michael Keaton on the set of "Batman".
Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images

"The Batman," which stars Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader, is scheduled to come out in October 2022.

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