Ever since Jeffrey Dean Morgan turned up as Thomas Wayne in the opening scene of Batman V Superman, DC fans have been keeping their fingers crossed that he could return as the Flashpoint Batman in The Flash movie. That possibility hasn’t been officially ruled out, but a surprising recent twist put Morgan’s role in doubt – Michael Keaton is in talks to return as his version of Bruce Wayne from the 80s/90s Tim Burton films. And presumably, The Flash ain’t big enough for two Batmen.
When asked about whether he could still appear in the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie by ComicBook.com, Morgan had the perfect response. The Walking Dead star joked that Keaton has swooped in with his cape and stolen his gig.
“Michael Keaton swooped in and took my gig,” Morgan joked. “Naw, I think that’s super cool. Ever since Zack Snyder walked away, my whole kind of bit in that world has walked away with him. However, there’s always a chat going on. So, we’ll see!”
On a more serious note, Morgan’s probably onto something about his opportunities for future DCEU appearances drying up as the franchise has started moving away from Zack Snyder’s overall vision. The recent entries in the series have been pretty keen to distance themselves from those earlier, darker films. That said, we’re of course getting Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max next year, so Morgan’s right not to give up hope.
As for The Flash, it seems like the movie will be a loose adaptation of the comic book event. In the source material, Barry Allen changes the past and finds that he’s completely transformed the future into an alternate, dystopian timeline, where Thomas Wayne became Batman after the death of his son. In the film, from what we know, he’ll encounter Keaton’s Batman instead as the timeline and the multiverse goes out of sync.
The Flash is currently scheduled for release in June 2022, but do you think getting Keaton back is a good enough swap for Morgan? Have your say in the comments below.