The Flash is almost upon us, after what feels like years of anticipation. It’s been nearly a decade since the film was first announced, and to DCs credit, the early buzz has been overwhelmingly positive. Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill have both given The Flash their seal of approval, which should be enough to secure the confidence of any die-hard superhero fan.
While audiences are excited to see how Ezra Miller fares in the title role, most of the buzz has been reserved for Michael Keaton and his return as Batman. It’s been three decades since Keaton last suited up in Batman Returns, and The Flash director Andy Muschietti has been upfront about the crucial role the actor plays.
What if Keaton has turned the part down, though? Well, that’s exactly what Muschietti was asked during a recent interview with Collider. The director, along with his producer/wife Barbara Muschietti, admitted that they did not have a Plan B.
“We wouldn’t have made this movie,” Barbara stated. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this movie as it is. We made it clear to him the first time we sat with him for lunch if he had said no, it would have been a completely different story.”
Muschietti joked that there’s a version of The Flash without Keaton in the multiverse, and Barbara said they weren’t involved with that version either. It’s clear the reverence that both of them have for Keaton’s performance, which helped to cement the legitimacy of superhero films back in 1989.
Keaton’s return is a bigger deal than it might initially seem. The actor worked closely with Tim Burton on the first two Batman films, but when Burton announced that he would not be returning to helm Batman Forever, Keaton also walked. He later told the Backstage Podcast that he didn’t want to attempt a version of the character that he didn’t agree with.
It sounds like h finally got what he wanted, then, even if it took 30 years. Keaton’s Batman has been the biggest takeaway from the trailers, and that’s taking into account that there’s another Batman (Ben Affleck) in the mix! We can’t wait to see how the actor fares in the actual film.