James Gunn Says There Are Possibilities for Michael Keaton's Batman

Published Jan 31, 2023, 1:05 PM EST

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As we receive a deluge of information about what’s coming in the next era of the new DC Universe today, there are a lot of questions about which actors we can expect to see in future projects, which is why journalists at the super-secret press event askedJames Gunn andPeter SafranifMichael Keaton's Batman will be worked into the DCU somehow.

Keaton's highly-anticipated return was one of the most hyped-up additions to the now-dead DCEU. The actor’s participation in future titles took a serious hit when the almost-finished TV movieBatgirl got shelvedback in August. However, Keaton is still slated to make an appearance inThe Flashthis year,which the duo suggests will represent the transition point from the DCEU to the DCU era. With all of this change, is there even room for Keaton in this DCU's future? Safran responded:

“We are a multiverse still. But the main thing that we're focusing on right now is creating the universe that people kind of put their feet into. And then out of that, if we want to have multiverse tales, which I actually know, one of the things we're working on does have multiverse tale. You know, we'll have that in there.”

Of course, it’s still too early for the duo to reveal everything that’s coming our way when the DCU kicks off. However, Safran and Gunn confirmed that not everything from the DCEU will be scrapped,and that standalone titles that have been doing well (likeJoker andThe Batman) will keep on rolling on their own. So, what Safran seems to be saying is that, if they feel like there’s a Michael Keaton Batman story worth telling, and that fits intoElseworlds—the standalone part of the new DCU that exists outside the shared universe—that’s probably the route they’ll take.

At the same time, we can’t ignore the fact that when the DCU is fully up and running, we’ll have two Batmen coexisting.The standaloneRobert Pattinson trilogy and the new Batman who will be introduced inThe Brave and The Bold. So bringing back Keaton to have a third Batman around seems unlikely, at least from today's point of view. After all, Safran and Gunn have stressed that they don't want to confuse audiences withpeople playing multiple roles.

The DCU is still a bit far away, with the kick-off feature filmSuperman Legacy (written by James Gunn) premiering on July 11, 2025. However, we’ll get hints of what’s to come with upcoming titlesShazam! Fury of the Gods—which premieres on March 17—andThe Flash, which speeds into theaters on June 16.