By the time Batgirl releases, whether that’s still as an HBO Max exclusive or on the big screen, Michael Keaton will be 71 years old, making him the oldest live-action Batman by at least 20 years.
The return of Tim Burton’s Dark Knight has generated wildly mixed responses across the breadth of the DCEU fandom, with supporters overjoyed at the prospect of seeing the Academy Award-nominated star suiting back up and reporting for duty, while detractors wonder why the DCEU would bring in a septuagenarian as a recurring character.
Either way, we know that Keaton is going to have a major role to play in both Batgirl and next summer’s The Flash, which will require him to partake in some hard-hitting action sequences. Famously, he was barely able to move under the costume in Burton’s duology, but directors Bilall Fallah and Adil El Arbi hinted to The Hollywood Reporter that their Caped Crusader remains a sprightly presence.
When asked directly about Keaton’s mobility, El Arbi could only laugh and say “Well, I can only say that it’s OG Batman”, before Fallah reaffirmed him as “the GOAT”, and then vaguely teasing that we can “draw our own conclusions to what OG Batman means”.
It certainly sounds as though he’ll be back in the thick of it, then, and with over 30 years of advancements in filmmaking technology, he’ll likely be more able and mobile than ever before, which is exactly what the people want to hear after waiting 30 years and change for the comeback we never thought we’d see.