As expected, The Flash looks to be living up to the reputation bestowed upon it as one of the greatest comic book blockbusters of the modern age after the first wave of reactions dropped following a screening at CinemaCon yesterday, with the long-awaited multiversal epic gathering rave responses from almost everyone in attendance.
It shouldn’t come as much surprise that the resurgent Michael Keaton has been singled out as one of the many highlights, even if his comeback as Batman is already pretty much over before it began. There was a huge burst of excitement when Tim Burton’s Dark Knight was revealed to be heading back to the DCU, but another regime change at Warner Bros. almost instantly rendered it obsolete.
At one stage not too long ago, Keaton was set to lend support in Batgirl and make a cameo appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, while rumors continued to gather steam that the Batman Beyond movie everybody had been hoping for was finally on its way. Instead, there’s a distinctly high chance that The Flash marks a one-and-done resurgence for the actor’s Caped Crusader.
Undeterred, director Andy Muschietti gushed over Keaton following the screening, and he even refused to rule out the possibility of seeing the veteran Bruce Wayne again in the future.
“We didn’t talk about [plans for a sequel]. I think we’re all waiting to see how this movie does. Of course, there’s excitement about continuing the story, especially if this movie is successful. There’s an architecture that is brewing and is being created. The question is, will this new architecture absorb this story? The good thing about the multiverse is that it is possible. The multiverse allows all of these different worlds to coexist and interact. And so hopefully, yes. I mean, we don’t know yet. We certainly hope so. We can’t predict the future. Everything that we hear is going to happen is very exciting. We don’t know much more than you do, honestly. But you know, this is a movie about beginnings and not endings. We certainly hope so.”
With Robert Pattinson’s The Batman – Part II in the works alongside James Gunn’s The Brave and the Bold, it’s unlikely the new co-CEO will feel the need for a third iteration of the legendary costumed crimefighter, so maybe it’s best to enjoy Keaton while we can.