This week's Your Nerd Side Show:
Michael Keaton, the acclaimed actor who first donned the iconic cape as Batman in Tim Burton's 1989 film, had a heartwarming time on the set of the DCEU film, The Flash.
The Flash's gag reel features the film's cast and crew prominently discussing Keaton's return. While visiting the Batcave for the first time in three decades was a touching moment, the actor was visibly emotional when his grandson got to see him becoming the Caped Crusader
Inspired by the comic's Flashpoint narrative, the film follows Hollywood's ongoing trend of multiverse stories, allowing the story to feature the universe where Keaton's Batman protected Gotham City, which was last witnessed on-screen in 1992's Batman Returns. The Flash's producer Barbara Muschietti recounted the 71-year-old actor's last venture into the Batsuit, which arrived when his son, Sean Douglas, was only a little kid.
Muschietti recalled a particular instance when Sean visited the set with his son and Keaton's grandson, explaining, "Michael's son and his grandson were in [Warner Bros. Studios] Leavesden, visiting one day and Michael told me 'When I did Tim Burton's Batman, Sean [his son] was four years old and now my grandson is four years old, and he's seeing his grandfather as Batman,' and that was very emotional for him and of course for us as well. I think Keaton didn't know how he was gonna feel about being this character again, but to be honest I think he's walking away from this movie with a lot of love for Batman."
Bringing Back Michael Keaton's Batman Was Very Exciting
Muschietti further stated that being able to bring back Keaton was one of the stepping stones for getting the film made. Muschietti's brother and The Flash director, Andy Muschietti also acknowledged his excitement about Keaton's inclusion, saying he enjoyed the Burton films as a teenager. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne, who designed the new Batsuit, also mentioned that the actor got emotional when putting on the suit. Interestingly, the new suit was carefully crafted to ensure freedom of upper body movement, as opposed to the original attire which infamously troubled the actor to move his entire body for even the smaller tasks.
In addition to Keaton's return to bring nostalgic fans, the film also marks the return of George Clooney as Bruce Wayne in a cameo appearance, as well as Ben Affleck's version of Batman in a brief role. Suffering from a long-delayed production, and some negative publicity, including Henry Cavill's cameo as Superman being deleted, the film fell flat on the box office, resulting in the biggest superhero movie box office bomb of all time.
The Flash is now streaming on Max.
Source: Warner Bros. Entertainment