Michael Keaton explains why he returned to play Batman 30 years later

Back in 1992, when audiences watched Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne defeat the Penguin in Batman Returns and ride off through a snowy Gotham, no one could’ve imagined that it would be over 30 years before we’d see him don the cape again. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Keaton will again play Batman in The Flash, which is due out in 2023.

The Flash is based on the Flashpoint comics and will explore the nature of the multiverse, which is also what Marvel has been doing for the last few years. Keaton was supposed to appear as Batman in Batgirl, as well, although that movie has been shelved despite having already wrapped filming. There’s an image of what may be him in costume floating around.

So what made Keaton want to return to his iconic role after all these years? “It seemed like fun,” Keaton told Variety. “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!’”

Given the multiversal mayhem that will ensue in The Flash, Keaton won’t be the only Bruce Wayne in the movie; Ben Affleck’s caped crusader will also be involved.

Michael Keaton doesn’t watch superhero movies

Keaton is one of only a few actors who have appeared in both the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as Spider-Man villain Vulture), as well as on the DC side of things. Thanks to this, his name has become synonymous with the superhero genre.

Given his extensive superhero filmography, you’d think he’s a huge geek and the first in line to watch newly released films, but that is not the case. In fact, he doesn’t watch superhero movies:

"I know people don’t believe this, that I’ve never seen an entire version of any of those movies — any Marvel movie, any other. And I don’t say that I don’t watch that because I’m highbrow — trust me! It’s not that. It’s just that there’s very little things I watch. I start watching something, and think it is great and I watch three episodes, but I have other shit to do!"

Considering that it has been over three decades since Keaton last donned the iconic cape, it seems like a safe bet that his Batman has changed a lot in that time. However, Keaton thinks otherwise. “Not mine,” he said.

Michael Keaton will make his triumphant return to the DC universe in The Flash, which is due out on June 23, 2023.

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