Following the announcement that Warner Bros. has scrapped the HBO Max film Batgirl, the DC Extended Universe is in a state of upheaval. This film’s most notable feature was Michael Keaton, who was returning to the role he portrayed in both Tim Burton’s 1989 and 1992 Batman and Batman Returns movies. While the future of Keaton’s role as The Dark Knight has been cast into doubt, recent reports suggest that the famed actor has already recorded parts for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which raises issues about his future involvement with the DCEU. It was previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Keaton had shot scenes for the next Aquaman sequel, which was shown to test audiences, and that he had been cast in both Batgirl and the future The Flash feature due out in 2023.
It’s unclear why Keaton’s Batman was in this realm, according to THR’s test audiences, who found the participation of the actor “confusing.” THR also reports that the former Batman actor was being positioned as an “older statesman who may crop up in numerous films and give counsel” in the DCEU, similar to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury. A week after Jason Momoa stated that Ben Affleck will return to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne in the planned sequel featuring the King of Atlantis, a story has surfaced claiming that Michael Keaton has shot portions for the impending sequel.
When Ben Affleck last portrayed the character in Zach Snyder’s The Justice League, many were shocked. We don’t know why, but THR notes that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom had originally been planned to be released after The Flash, which would have had a plot very similar to the iconic Flashpoint Paradox story in which Barry Allen travelled back in time to save his mother and thereby altered the future in ways that we don’t yet know. With Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom coming out after The Flash, it’s unlikely that Keaton’s Batman would be the product of one of these alterations.
This is just conjecture at this point, and we won’t know for sure why until we hear something to the contrary. It will be James Wan’s second time directing Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which will be written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and co-authored by the star himself, Jason Momoa. Aquaman will reportedly be without Keaton, but Ben Affleck and Jason Momoa will be joining a cast that also includes Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, and Patrick Wilson as Mera, Ocean Master, and Aquaman’s father, Tom Curry (who will be played by Temuera Morrison). Pilou Asbaek, star of Game of Thrones, also joins the cast at an unspecified time. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who played the evil Black Manta in the first film, will return to reprise his role.
The future of Keaton’s participation in the DC Extended Universe is as yet uncertain.
As of right now, fans may see the first Aquaman film on HBO Max before the sequel, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, hits theatres on March 17, 2023.