With the shocking cancellation of the Batgirl film, starring Leslie Grace and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, much of the future of DC movies under Warner Bros Discovery has been thrown into question. While CEO David Zaslav has tried to reassure fans that DC will be moving forward with a 10-year plan similar to that of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it seems like the plan DC already had in place has been completely thrown out the window. While Zaslav has promised that fans will still see upcoming films such as The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the overall structure of the DC film division is completely restructuring, and with that, seemingly no upcoming projects are safe.
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Prior to Batgirl’s cancellation, all signs regarding DC’s future were pointing toward a semi-rebooted film canon, with Michael Keaton stepping back into the role of Batman, following Ben Affleck’s departure from the brand in The Flash. However, with everything now in flux, it seems that Keaton’s future in the role is now significantly less certain than originally thought. Here’s what we know.
The Original Plan for the DCEU’s Future
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The original plan for the future of the DCEU seems to have involved a reset of sorts for the overall DC movie universe, thoroughly moving the franchise away from the Snyderverse and the mixed bag of movies that have followed the financial failure of 2017’s Justice League. This reset was likely to happen during the events of The Flash. The general concept of the film is a loose adaptation of the iconic Flashpoint story from the comics, which sees The Flash traveling back in time and re-writing reality in an attempt to save his mother. By the end of the film, a new DC film universe would be in place, keeping some elements of the Snyderverse while completely erasing others.
This new universe would see Sasha Calle taking on the role of Supergirl and Keaton stepping in to replace Affleck as Batman. The first film to really explore the new continuity of this universe would have been Batgirl, with Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman existing as an older mentor to the new Batgirl played by Leslie Grace. From there, Keaton’s Batman would likely still appear on occasion moving forward, but the central Bat-character of the universe would have been Grace’s Batgirl. If WB was planning on building that rebooted universe toward a new attempt at a Justice League movie, the new team likely would have consisted of Calle’s Supergirl, Grace’s Batgirl, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Zachary Levi’s Shazam, The Flash (likely recast from Ezra Miller) and any number of new characters such as Blue Beetle or Black Adam.
Grace’s Batgirl stepping into the lead role of this new DCEU would have made sense, considering Robert Pattinson’s Batman has successfully kicked off a completely separate story for that hero. By establishing Batgirl as the central DCEU’s Bat-figure, with Keaton’s older Batman in a supporting role, it would have allowed both franchises to exist simultaneously, without them stepping on each other’s toes too much. The same goes for Calle’s Supergirl, as the odds of Henry Cavill’s return to the role of Superman are increasingly slim, and WB was already considering a reboot of the character with Ta-Nehisi Coates on board as a screenwriter. While there hasn’t been any official word regarding Superman for a little while now, the future of Batman was clearly outlined, with Keaton as a central piece of that plan.
What’s Going on With The Flash?
Warner Bros. Pictures
It’s no secret that The Flash has been a bit of a developmental nightmare. Ezra Miller was originally cast in the role nearly a decade ago, and the film has gone through various stages of developments and pre-production, with a half-dozen different writers and directors coming on board the project over the years, only to leave over “creative differences” with WB. After its numerous delays gradually pushed the film back nearly seven years from its original 2016 release date, The Flash is (theoretically) currently set to hit theaters in June 2023. Principal photography is complete, with IT director Andy Muschietti helming the project. Keaton’s Batman is set to be making his grand re-introduction in the film alongside Calle’s Supergirl, with both having already been briefly teased in the trailer for the film released in the fall of 2021. For a little while, everything seemed to be finally working out for The Flash.
However, over the last year or so, the numerous concerning, disturbing and very public altercations that star Ezra Miller has gotten into have threatened to completely derail the film again. While it is unclear what the exact circumstances of Miller’s personal life and mental state are, it is apparent that they have become a danger to themself and the people around them. As many people have called for Miller’s replacement in the film, WB has been left in a complicated position with The Flash. It would be an incredibly expensive and extensive process to re-shoot the film with a replacement for Miller, as the actor is not only the lead, but they also play multiple versions of Barry Allen in the film. However, the studio doesn’t want to just release the film on HBO Max or pull the plug on it completely (as they did with Batgirl) either, as there has already been at least $200 million sunk into its production.
Regardless of the complicated situations revolving around Miller, WB seems to be charging ahead with the film as-is. Though it is unlikely that the film will hit its June 2023 release date, as the entirety of DC’s upcoming films are likely to be delayed (again), there’s a good chance that audiences will still see the film at some point in the calendar year of 2023. That’s good news for fans that are dying to see Keaton’s Batman, as it looks like the character is still on course to appear sooner rather than later.
Keaton’s Future (or Lack Thereof)
Warner Bros.
So while that fans will soon be experiencing Keaton’s Batman on the big screen again in The Flash, nearly 30 years after his last appearance in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, the winds seem to be shifting still. While the original plan may have been for Keaton’s Batman to replace Affleck and become the main version of Bruce Wayne in the central DC film universe, that may no longer be the case. When considering the cancellation of Batgirl, alongside the news that Affleck’s Batman will now be appearing in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom after reportedly re-filming a scene originally shot with Keaton’s Batman, The Flash is now the only film where Keaton is slated to appear.
With Zaslav’s recent comments about wanting to reset the state of DC films with a new 10-year plan for the franchise, it’s beginning to look like Zaslav and WB are looking to wrap-up the current DC outings quickly in favor of completely starting over with the brand. That would explain the cancellation of Batgirl, because if that film was really delving into a newly established DC universe, it would make sense for WB to kill that now before it even gets started. With that, Black Adam, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are likely to be the last of this current iteration of the DC universe on-screen before the entire thing is tossed out and replaced. Blue Beetle could be in there as well, but it’s unclear where that film stands right now.
If WB and Zaslav are wanting to bring this current phase of DC films to a close, it’s no wonder why they would want to stop it from expanding into a new universe with Batgirl. What that means for Keaton’s Batman is that, sadly, the character will likely be transitioning from the planned central role moving forward to just a one-off appearance in The Flash, similar to that of Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That would also explain Affleck’s new appearance in Aquaman, as he would still exist in-continuity, with the role in that film likely being a small one, serving more as a final goodbye for the character rather than a revitalization.
There’s no official confirmation of what kind of story or universe WB is hoping to build with the DC characters moving forward. It’s not a stretch to think that they could launch a new universe off The Batman, considering that film’s stark difference from the Marvel universe and how financially and critically successful Matt Reeves’ new take with Pattinson was. Whatever their new plan ends up being, unfortunately, Michael Keaton is not likely to be a part of it.
