Michael Keaton will be wearing the Bat-cowl a little bit longer.
The Batman actor, who is reprising his turn from the late 1980s/early 1990s turn of as the cinematic incarnation of the Caped Crusader in the upcoming Flash film, will also be playing Batman in the upcoming HBO Max film Batgirl, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Bad Boys For Life co-directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are directing Batgirl from a script by Christina Hodson. In The Heights‘ Leslie Grace is starring as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Commissioner Jim Gordon who fights crime in a Batman-inspired costume of her own. J.K. Simmons, who played Commissioner Gordon in Justice League, is reprising the role here. Brendan Fraser is also slated to appear in the film as the villain Firefly.
As expected, Warner Brothers has had no comment on the reports. Production on Batgirl is currently underway in London.
Interestingly, Keaton and Simmons appearing on screen together although they starred in different cinematic iterations of the Batman character raises an interesting question – What has happened to cause this? In Keaton’s two Batman films, directed by Tim Burton, his Commissioner Gordon was played by Pat Hingle, while the Batman that Simmons’ Gordon appeared opposite was played by Ben Affleck. It certainly suggests some multiversal shenanigans in the upcoming Flash film, which will star Ezra Miller as the super-speeding superhero.
No release date has been announced for Batgirl, though don’t be surprised if it doesn’t premier until after Flash hits theaters on November 4, 2022.
