MICHAEL KEATON RETURNS (or at least in discussion) AS BATMAN

[Milk Tray Guy]

I rewatched Batman Returns earlier this evening. With all this talk of Keaton returning to the role Batman, didn't BR's Paul Reubens return to the role of Penguin's father in Gotham a few years back?

 

[Sawyer]

I rewatched Batman Returns earlier this evening. With all this talk of Keaton returning to the role Batman, didn't BR's Paul Reubens return to the role of Penguin's father in Gotham a few years back?

He did.

 

[I'm Venom]

No way he doesn't wear his iconic suit in this.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

He did.

I thought so (I'd stopped watching by then).

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I don't buy the 'Kingdom Come' rumour just yet. Every twitter hack will come out with a 'scoop' over the next few weeks.

 

[Nardz937]

I would geek out to see O'Donnells middle-aged Robin/Nightwing and I'm not ashamed to admit that. He's aged really well, too.

 

[Iceman]

How’s Alicia Silverstone doing these days?

 

[Nardz937]

I just looked at her Instagram and learned that I've been pronouncing her name wrong my whole life.

Please give her a cameo too by the way.

 

[Sawyer]

I don't buy the 'Kingdom Come' rumour just yet. Every twitter hack will come out with a 'scoop' over the next few weeks.

I’m hesitant to believe anything I see from these random ass sites for that very reason, but I could see the logic in the Kingdom Come suit. KC and The Dark Knight Returns are really the two key “Old Batman” stories (I’m not counting Batman Beyond, because he’s out of commission then) and TDKR was really already covered by Snyder. Kingdom Come has untapped potential.

 

[Boom]

My ideal scenario would be:

1. Keaton in the Batman Beyond suit in Flashpoint.
2. Batman Beyond movie with Keaton hanging it up and training Terry to take his place.
3. Terry becomes the DCEU Batman moving forward, with Bruce in the "Nick Fury" role.

I am not entirely opposed to Terry being swapped out with Batgirl (and all things considered that would probably make things cleaner), but my Michael Keaton/Batman Beyond fantasy is deep-rooted.

 

[mclay18]

Bale has already made comments that sounded like he wished he was still doing Batman back during BvS. I'm not counting him out completely.

I think Bale would come back if the script was good and that Muschietti's respectful of what Nolan did before it.

I would not put it past Muschietti to court a lot of Burton/Schumacher/Nolan actors to appear in Flashpoint. I think the odds are higher for, say, Anne Hathaway or Cillian Murphy to appear in the movie than Bale.

 

[I'm Venom]

I don't buy the 'Kingdom Come' rumour just yet. Every twitter hack will come out with a 'scoop' over the next few weeks.

Exactly it's not even confirmed Keaton is in it yet.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

I still want to see him in a design similar to what he wore in 89/Returns. If only for a small portion of the movie.

After that, they can get more creative if they want to.

 

[Frodo]

I think Bale would come back if the script was good and that Muschietti's respectful of what Nolan did before it.

I would not put it past Muschietti to court a lot of Burton/Schumacher/Nolan actors to appear in Flashpoint. I think the odds are higher for, say, Anne Hathaway or Cillian Murphy to appear in the movie than Bale.

I actually think that WB probably want both Keaton and Bale to return if possible. I also don't think Bale is as averse to coming back as geek pundits seem to think he is.

After Keaton was cast, I suspected that he wasn't going to be the only big name for Flashpoint.

Clearly Flashpoint is gonna be a major project much like Crisis on the CW was , so I wouldn't be surprised if WB is swinging for the fences and want it to be an all star film event with actors from the Burton and Nolan films , in addition to DCEU staples Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Henry Cavill.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Clearly Flashpoint is gonna be a major project much like Crisis on the CW was , so I wouldn't be surprised if WB is swinging for the fences and want it to be an all star film event with actors from the Burton and Nolan films , in addition to DCEU staples Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Henry Cavill.

I'm sure WB were watching the CW's Crisis very carefully, and taking a very good look at audience/fan reaction, both positive and negative.

 

[mclay18]

Clearly Flashpoint is gonna be a major project much like Crisis on the CW was , so I wouldn't be surprised if WB is swinging for the fences and want it to be an all star film event with actors from the Burton and Nolan films , in addition to DCEU staples Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and Henry Cavill.

That's actually a good point. I'm going to list Batman names that WB might be considering for Flashpoint and whether they would do it (if they're aiming to get back Keaton AND Bale):

Likely: Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert Wuhl, Kim Basinger
Open to returning: Anne Hathaway, Chris O'Donnell, Alicia Silverstone
Iffy: Christian Bale, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy
Likely no: George Clooney, Val Kilmer

Not sure on the other names.

 

[Sawyer]

I think we should be a bit wary to overload this thing with Bat-Family.

 

[Pfeiffer-Pfan]

Yeah... this should still be Flash's movie. Nothing wrong with Keaton's Batman offering support, but too many reprisals/cameos from previous Bat films will likely spoil the broth.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

Yeah... this should still be Flash's movie. Nothing wrong with Keaton's Batman offering support, but too many reprisals/cameos from previous Bat films will likely spoil the broth.

Yes. I'd love some glimpses from previous DC live-action universes (even if they're clips) as Flash travels, but - as you say - nothing to pull the focus away from Miller's Flash and (hopefully) Keaton's Batman.

 

[Airwings]

Batman's incredulity at Flash's powers could be hugely entertaining.

Yes, hehe
I've been thinking about it a bit and have something to tell regarding the matter.
We know that DCU's Flash is the one to visit Burtonverse. But there's another Flash that would have blended in better. Visually that is, because speeding powers is always out of place in Burtonverse.
I think CW called it Earth-90.
So here he is, the John Wesley Shipp Flash who looks like he could have been a part of Burtonverse.
Unfortunately that comeback has already been done. But Shipp in the 90s suit should have been saved for the Flashpoint movie, and he could have shared the screen with DCU Flash. Then we could have got a cinematic adventure that would have been both Bat-centered AND Flash-centered

I think Murphy's Scarecrow could work really well in the Burtonverse

Me too. It's almost as he belongs there.
Can it really happen? And what would be the reason Scarecrow is going to another universe?
The plot must be really good for it to work, or else it will come off as cheap.

I have an idea.
Maybe villains getting their hands on tech that can open portals, is the cinematic equivalent to CW's Crisis? It's something different than an all-powerful entity like Anti-Monitor.

There were rumours a while back that time-travel could have some bearing on WW84

Hmm, intriguing!
Flash could mess things up a lot by travelling in time. And the effects of it might be shown in WW84. Diana suddenly gets a strange feeling that something is changing around her. Her being godly can be why she notice something, while normal humans don't feel anything

Here I can throw in an idea I got earlier today.
First, Schumacher's films take place in the same world as Burton's. No, this isn't about getting a yes/no discussion. Just accept they do
But Flash messing with time, affects not only his world but other worlds too.
What originally were, have changed. Burtonverse did no longer naturally evolve into Batman Forever/Batman & Robin.
There's two suggestions here.

*Either Burtonverse's world split in half and developped in two alternate realities.
One with the Schumacher films, one with the more Burton-esque Batman who actually never got a Robin. This is the one to appear in Flashpoint. Because Keaton is back.

*Or, Flash's messing with time can really affect the multiverse big time.
Perhaps he manages to "un-do" the Schumacher films.
Good for us, hehe, but not so good for that world.

If it's really so, that the 95/97 events are erased. Then it's a way to have Chris O'Donnell do a little cameo. We see him, then his character vanishes from reality.
Well, not complete. Because he would still have been a kid acrobat by the time of BR. But everything from then on, changes.
What will that Batman be without Robin? Maybe he comes closer to dying when there isn't a partner to save him? And somewhere along time, he decides to hang up the cowl because it's no longer worth the risk.
Then 25-30 years later, he meets DCU Flash in Flashpoint

He's not a bad fit!

Thanks!
I don't think 66-verse will be included at all. And if it does somehow, Zegers won't be Dick Grayson.
But it's so fun to come up with ideas and imagine them.
Some will be good, some not. But it's nice to dream.

 

[The Guard]

I think Kingdom Come makes sense, especially in terms of inspiration for Bruce himself.

Some of Keaton's best moments have involved him sitting at the batcomputer and researching/spying, he's just so damn intense. That lends itself nicely to the Kingdom Come/Batman Beyond approach. I think we may see a sort of proto Batman Beyond, with Keaton's Bruce filling in as the tech guy, in a sense.

 

[mclay18]

I think we should be a bit wary to overload this thing with Bat-Family.

I'm just throwing names that are/aren't likely to come on board Flashpoint. Hell, I'd be happy with only three Batfamily cameos.

 

[Milk Tray Guy]

So here he is, the John Wesley Shipp Flash who looks like he could have been a part of Burtonverse.
Unfortunately that comeback has already been done. But Shipp in the 90s suit should have been saved for the Flashpoint movie, and he could have shared the screen with DCU Flash. Then we could have got a cinematic adventure that would have been both Bat-centered AND Flash-centered

I agree, Shipp's Flash certainly shares that Burtonverse aesthetic. If there had been a regular Flash in that universe I'm sure he would have looked just like Shipp does there I remember reading that Batman '89 was an influence on the Flash show, even to the point of getting Danny Elfman and Shirley Walker (she worked with Elfman on Batman) to do the music.

Me too. It's almost as he belongs there.
Can it really happen? And what would be the reason Scarecrow is going to another universe?
The plot must be really good for it to work, or else it will come off as cheap.

I have an idea.
Maybe villains getting their hands on tech that can open portals, is the cinematic equivalent to CW's Crisis? It's something different than an all-powerful entity like Anti-Monitor.

It's a heavy sci-fi concept, but the DCEU embraces that (Cyborg, Mother Boxes, alien invasions!) so that could work.

Flash could mess things up a lot by travelling in time. And the effects of it might be shown in WW84. Diana suddenly gets a strange feeling that something is changing around her. Her being godly can be why she notice something, while normal humans don't feel anything

Here I can throw in an idea I got earlier today.
First, Schumacher's films take place in the same world as Burton's. No, this isn't about getting a yes/no discussion. Just accept they do

But Flash messing with time, affects not only his world but other worlds too.
What originally were, have changed. Burtonverse did no longer naturally evolve into Batman Forever/Batman & Robin.
There's two suggestions here.

*Either Burtonverse's world split in half and developped in two alternate realities.
One with the Schumacher films, one with the more Burton-esque Batman who actually never got a Robin. This is the one to appear in Flashpoint. Because Keaton is back.

Definitely like that idea.

But it's so fun to come up with ideas and imagine them.
Some will be good, some not. But it's nice to dream.

Always enjoy reading your theories and ideas!

 

[Frodo]

Yeah... this should still be Flash's movie. Nothing wrong with Keaton's Batman offering support, but too many reprisals/cameos from previous Bat films will likely spoil the broth.

I think that this will be more akin the Captain America Civil War in that while its a Cap movie , its also basically an Avengers film.

Yeah, Flashpoint is a Flash film, but if they're going to Michael Keaton, perhaps Bale, and probably Gadot, Moama , and Cavill, then WB is seeing this as more than just Flash's movie .

The Keaton casting tells me especially that they aren't relying Ezra Miller to carry this thing.

If WB could market this film with Keaton, Bale, Pfeiffer, and Affleck as an example, they know they'll have the GA much more intrigued and interested than they would with just a Flash film.

I think the issue would be more who would cameo ,and who they would want to come back.

 

[Iceman]

I think that this will be more akin the Captain America Civil War in that while its a Cap movie , its also basically an Avengers film.

Yeah, Flashpoint is a Flash film, but if they're going to Michael Keaton, perhaps Bale, and probably Gadot, Moama , and Cavill, then WB is seeing this as more than just Flash's movie .

The Keaton casting tells me especially that they aren't relying Ezra Miller to carry this thing.

If WB could market this film with Keaton, Bale, Pfeiffer, and Affleck as an example, they know they'll have the GA much more intrigued and interested than they would with just a Flash film.

I think the issue would be more who would cameo ,and who they would want to come back.

There's a lot of older people who would feel compelled to watch something like that that (even if they suspected it might go horribly wrong) with that set of characters and the combination of strong nostalgia along with the craziness of what is being attempted.