The bat's been out of the bag for a while, and we all know Michael Keaton is reprising the role of Batman in director Andy Muschietti's The Flash. What we absolutely do not know is what it'll feel like to see Keaton step back into the cape and cowl he last wore almost three decades ago for a pair of Batman films directed by Tim Burton. So when Collider's Steve Weintraub sat down with the actor for the upcoming action-thriller The Protege, he simply had to ask what that very first day back in costume was like. The answer is everything a Bat-fan—especially a Tim Burton Bat-fan—could want.

Here's exactly what Keaton told us:

"[It was] weirdly and ironically easy. A little bit emotional. Just a rush of memories. Without giving anything away, which I can’t, basically the first shot, not of the entire movie but let’s say the introduction [of Batman], is so good that when we walked on and started talking about a couple of shots and the angles, I went 'whoa, this is big. This is great.' I don’t even mean for me. Just the imagery, it’s great. And reminiscent, to some degree, of Tim Burton."

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Image via Warner Bros.

RELATED: First Look at Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne in 'The Flash' Revealed in New Set Photo

After months of rumors, Keaton was officially confirmed to be playing Bruce Wayne in The Flash back in April of 2021. The film, which experienced its own turbulent road to production before Muschietti finally signed on in 2019, will introduce DC's live-action multiverse with a rumored adaption of the timeline-shuffling "Flashpoint" comic book storyline. This would explain how Keaton's Batman can bump against Ezra Miller's Barry Allen—who has so far appeared in the DCEU across three films—and Ben Affleck, also returning as an entirely different Bruce Wayne, the one he played twice for director Zack Snyder. Just a whole lot happening in that ensemble, and then you also factor in Sasha Calle's Supergirl. Calle was announced for the role of Superman's cousin back in February, marking the character's first big-screen appearance since 1984's Supergirl, as well as the first time Kara Zor-el will be portrayed by a Latina actress.

Despite all that universe-hopping, Muschietti's horror background on films like IT and Mama, and Batman's whole thing about darkness, the director has teased a lighter story, heavy on the human emotions. Here's what the filmmaker said when he first came aboard the project:

“An element of horror? I don’t think so. What captivated me about The Flash is the human drama in it. The human feelings and emotions that play in the drama [of it]. It’s going to be fun, too. I can’t promise that there will be any horror [elements in it], really, but it’s a beautiful human story.”

Check out exactly what Keaton had to say in the player above and be on the lookout for our full interview with the actor on the site soon. The Flash is set to hit theaters on November 4, 2022. You can also catch Keaton in The Protege when it hits theaters on August 20.

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Image via WB

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