Summary
- Michael Keaton's return as Batman in 2023's The Flash was divisive, but a pitch made by screenwriter/director Damon Lindelof would have been a superior return.
- Lindelof suggested using a past Batman actor, like Keaton or Christian Bale, in an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns for a more exciting and compelling storyline.
- Keaton's return as Batman in The Flash didn't give him enough focus or exploration, making a standalone film or a Batman Beyond adaptation a better option for his return.
A truly great pitch for Michael Keaton's Batman return was secretly made four years ago in 2019. Having recently returned to the role thanks to 2023's The Flash, audiences got to see Micheal Keaton return as Batman, though the execution was certainly divisive. However, it does seem as though this earlier pitch would have been a superior return to the cape and cowl for Keaton over 30 years after his debut in 1989's Batman from director Tim Burton.
In The Flash, Ezra Miller's Barry Allen inadvertently rewrote the DC timeline after preventing his mother's past murder. This altered reality itself where the Batman Barry was familiar with (Ben Affleck) was replaced with Michael Keaton's version who had long since retired as the Caped Crusader. Nevertheless, this version of Bruce Wayne agreed to help Barry and his younger self rewrite the timeline. The Flash was one of the most exciting elements, the overall role was less than what fans had been hoping for. With that in mind, a pitch made by screenwriter/director Damon Lindelof would have likely been the better Batman return.
Damon Lindelof Pitched Michael Keaton's Dark Knight Returns In 2019
While promoting HBO's Watchmen series back in 2019, Damon Lindelof revealed his idea for a live-action adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns in an interview with Collider:
“I think it would be really interesting to wait for somebody like, you know, Michael Keaton, who had already done Batman, or a Christian Bale 25 years from now and then do Dark Knight with them. So, it’s someone who we actually saw play a younger version of Batman.”
Talking about the originality of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, Lindelof went on to say that he wouldn't be interested in writing or directing an exact adaptation of the beloved Batman story, just like he wasn't interested in repeating Alan Moore's Watchmen. However, he's absolutely right in that the idea of using a past Batman actor in the role would be very exciting and compelling.
It's important to note that Ben Affleck's Batman took heavy inspiration from The Dark Knight Returns by being a jaded Caped Crusader who'd been protecting Gotham for over 20 years. However, Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was not a direct adaptation of the overall story as that version of Bruce Wayne hadn't retired nor did he have a pre-existing relationship with Superman that made their battle in the comics so dynamic. As such, the opportunity for a Dark Knight Returns live-action movie is still viable, either with Keaton's Batman or a different actor like Christian Bale like Lindelof mentions.
Why The Dark Knight Returns Would Have Beaten Keaton's Flash Return
Ultimately, there's a large consensus that a return to the cape and cowl for Michael Keaton would have been far better had he been given more of the focus in his own film, rather than being a ing character in another hero's movie. To that end, not much time was spent exploring the reasons why Keaton's Batman had retired, and one of the more interesting elements was even deleted from The Flash's final cut. Whether it's The Dark Knight Returns or a live-action version of Batman Beyond where Bruce Wayne trains the future Batman, Michael Keaton still deserves a stronger return to one of his most popular roles.
Source: Collider
