If anyone had any doubts as to whether Batgirl co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah were actual fans of the original 1989 Batman film, the pair disabused all of them with just a few short words while confirming Michael Keaton, Batman himself, would return to the role in their upcoming film.
Speaking to Insider, the pair admitted to the worst kept secret in superhero movies. “Can we say anything?” El Arbi asked his longtime filmmaking partner.
“Fuck yes,” Fallah responded. “The O.G. Batman is in the movie.”
Cue the Danny Elfman theme music.
Keaton played the caped crusader in his eponymous first major feature film outing and came back for its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns, but Keaton himself has never returned to the role since. Last year rumors began to swirl that Keaton would be stepping back into his old bat boots. It was later confirmed that Keaton would indeed be appearing in the upcoming movie The Flash as the Dark Knight of a dimension alternate to the so-called Snyderverse — which is still considered by many to be the mainstream continuity of the DCEU.
Since then it’s been a fairly open secret that Keaton would also be donning his old cowl for El Arbi and Fallah’s DCEU Batgirl film. But the directors’ confirmation to Insider now makes it official that not only will Keaton be in the upcoming project, but that the Bad Boys for Life directors will be treating him with the respect an OG deserves.
Unfortunately, the pair had no answers when it comes to the real mystery of the DCEU. Will Batgirl beat The Flash in the race to the box office?
“We don’t know when Batgirl is coming out,” said El Arbi, told Insider. “No one told us nothing about tweaks, just to carry on.”
Batgirl is tentatively expected to make its streaming debut on HBO Max sometime this year. Or maybe in theaters instead? Or as well?
Stay tuned to this Bat(girl) channel.
