Warner Bros. Batgirl movie is bringing many fan-favorites into play but is also managing to make a confused and disjointed DCEU even more so thanks to the inclusion of Michael Keaton’s Batman appearing alongside J.K. Simmons’ Jim Gordon, who was last seen working with Ben Affleck’s Caped Crusader in Justice League. Leslie Grace’s Batgirl will bring Barbara Gordon to HBO Max to face off against Brendan Fraser’s Firefly, but how the movie fits into the DCEU is still unknown. While we wait to see how Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight ends up back in the fray, something that seems to be getting explained in The Flash later this year, new set photos have given a new clearer look at both Keaton’s returning Batman and Simmons’ Jim Gordon as filming heads towards its close in Glasgow, Scotland.
While Ben Affleck is known to be reprising his role as Batman for The Flash, it seems that along with Robert Pattinson’s stand-alone take on Gotham City’s protector, Michael Keaton, will once again be the central Batman in Warner Bros. superhero lineup. While for some Keaton’s run as the hero came to a premature end in Batman Returns, the news of his reprisal of the role in The Flash caused a lot of fans to go crazy at the thought of the original big-screen Batman coming back after thirty years. Seeing his additional appearance in Batgirl has only come as an added bonus.
The latest set of photos were taken by Alan Fettes and shared via his Twitter account. In the images, Keaton’s body double is seen in the shot, and it is a clear view of the original Dark Knight’s suit. More intriguing are the images of J.K. Simmons’ Jim Gordon, who still appears to be considerably younger than his Justice League appearance. While it has already been suggested that the scenes are most likely flashback sequences, the fact that both characters appear together in one shot could suggest that Keaton’s primary role in the movie is in those same flashbacks. However, not knowing much about the timeline of the movie, it could be a case that the bulk of the movie is set in the past, which would explain the Batman quandary.
How Big Will Michael Keaton’s Batman Role In The DCEU Be?
Warner Bros Pictures
From the seemingly one-off appearance in The Flash’s upcoming movie, many fans are questioning just how long Michael Keaton will now be back in the DCEU. While it has been hinted that The Flash will be some kind of reset of the DCEU, which would remove Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight and replace him with Keaton’s, his additional appearance in Batgirl has completely flummoxed many. With images suggesting that at least some of his Batgirl role is set in the past, does this mean that Keaton’s Batman is not as relevant to the future DCEU as some believed or will he be back again in other upcoming projects?
One Batgirl rumor had suggested Keaton’s Batman would be a mentor for Leslie Grace’s character, and by the end of the movie, Keaton would be stepping aside, and Barbara Gordon would be taking over the role of Gotham’s masked vigilante. With either option being plausible, there is little to do now other than wait for some more official information from Warner Bros., but that is not likely to come for some time yet.
