It has been revealed that former DC Films head Walter Hamada wanted Michael Keaton‘s Batman to serve a role in the DCEU similar to Samuel L. Jackson‘s Nick Fury.
How was Michael Keaton’s Batman going to be like Nick Fury?
A feature from The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Hamada wanted Keaton’s Batman to appear in various DC movies as an experienced hero. This desire led to reshoots featuring Ben Affleck in Keaton’s scenes after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was pushed back to come out after The Flash — the movie that introduced Keaton’s Caped Crusader to the DCEU.
“Hamada wanted Michael Keaton’s version of the character to be akin to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury in the Marvel movies — an elder statesman who could pop up in various films, including the now-shelved Batgirl, as well as The Lost Kingdom,” the outlet revealed. “But shifting release dates muddled things. At one point, The Lost Kingdom was set to open in March 2023, several months before Keaton’s return in June 2023’s The Flash.
“So in late July 2022, two months after Abdy and DeLuca took over Warners, Ben Affleck joined a round of reshoots as Bruce Wayne, to replace a scene Keaton shot. But then the movie was moved again, this time to after Flash, putting Affleck’s appearance in question.”
The Flash movie is directed by IT’s Andy Muschietti and written by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey). The film stars Ezra Miller as the DCEU’s Scarlet Speedster/ Barry Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Sasha Calle as Supergirl, and Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, along with Keaton and Ben Affleck, who reprise their respective versions of Bruce Wayne/Batman for the film.
“Worlds collide in The Flash when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past,” reads the synopsis. “But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no super heroes to turn to.”
