Batman Won't Be Portrayed By Michael Keaton in DC Extended Universe

Bad news for fans of Tim Burton's 1989 take on Batman -- despite an onslaught of rumors and our collective hopes, Michael Keaton will not be reprising his role as arguably the best Bruce Wayne to ever grace the big screen, a misconception stemming from a widely misinterpreted New York Times report. 

Last week, in a piece interviewing DC Film's president, Walter Hamada, about the DCEU's plan for a superhero multiverse, writer Brooks Barnes noted the future of the beloved franchise. "To make all the story lines work, DC Films will introduce movie audiences to a comics concept known as the multiverse: parallel worlds where different versions of the same character exist simultaneously," Barnes explained. "Coming up, for instance, Warner Bros. will have two different film sagas involving Batman -- played by two different actors -- running at the same time." 

Later in the same article, the writer discussed another upcoming film on DC's slate, The Flash, and how it will connect these "parallel worlds." "'The Flash,' a film set for release in theaters in 2022, will link the two universes and feature two Batmans, with Mr. Affleck returning as one and Michael Keaton returning as the other. Mr. Keaton played Batman in 1989 and 1992."

Soon after publication fans jumped on Barnes' article as confirmation that Keaton would reprise his iconic part beyond The Flash as one of the DCEU's Batmans, a sentiment further muddled by a not-so-clear Q and A session on Twitter, The Mary Sue reported. 

As this misconstrued confirmation blew up, exciting fans everywhere, Barnes took to Twitter a few days later to actually clarify what he meant. 

"Been offline (moving apartments) and return to see this Michael Keaton craziness," he wrote yesterday. "I was referring to the *one film* that Keaton has been announced as being in, not a set of his own Batman films. If I had info on him beyond "The Flash," I would have obviously put it in my article."

So there you have it folks! Despite our collective wishes, it seems Michael Keaton will na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na not be returning beyond The Flash. Oh well!

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