As we receive a deluge of information about what’s coming in the next era of the new DC Universe today, there are a lot of questions about which actors we can expect to see in future projects, which is why journalists at the super-secret press event asked James Gunn and Peter Safran if Michael Keaton's Batman will be worked into the DCU somehow.

Keaton's highly-anticipated return was one of the most hyped-up additions to the now-dead DCEU. The actor’s participation in future titles took a serious hit when the almost-finished TV movie Batgirl got shelved back in August. However, Keaton is still slated to make an appearance in The Flash this year, which the duo suggests will represent the transition point from the DCEU to the DCU era. With all of this change, is there even room for Keaton in this DCU's future? Safran responded:

“We are a multiverse still. But the main thing that we're focusing on right now is creating the universe that people kind of put their feet into. And then out of that, if we want to have multiverse tales, which I actually know, one of the things we're working on does have multiverse tale. You know, we'll have that in there.”

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Image via Warner Bros.

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Of course, it’s still too early for the duo to reveal everything that’s coming our way when the DCU kicks off. However, Safran and Gunn confirmed that not everything from the DCEU will be scrapped, and that standalone titles that have been doing well (like Joker and The Batman) will keep on rolling on their own. So, what Safran seems to be saying is that, if they feel like there’s a Michael Keaton Batman story worth telling, and that fits into Elseworldsthe standalone part of the new DCU that exists outside the shared universe—that’s probably the route they’ll take.

At the same time, we can’t ignore the fact that when the DCU is fully up and running, we’ll have two Batmen coexisting. The standalone Robert Pattinson trilogy and the new Batman who will be introduced in The Brave and The Bold. So bringing back Keaton to have a third Batman around seems unlikely, at least from today's point of view. After all, Safran and Gunn have stressed that they don't want to confuse audiences with people playing multiple roles.

The DCU is still a bit far away, with the kick-off feature film Superman Legacy (written by James Gunn) premiering on July 11, 2025. However, we’ll get hints of what’s to come with upcoming titles Shazam! Fury of the Gods—which premieres on March 17—and The Flash, which speeds into theaters on June 16.

Find out more about everything DC announced today, from a new Superman movie to The Brave and the Bold.