DC’s 2023 film slate begins this weekend with the release of Shazam! Fury of the Gods. However, the one film most moviegoers can’t stop talking about is The Flash. This is mostly thanks to its insane multiverse filled trailer that premiered last month during Super Bowl Sunday. The main reason everyone’s excited above all else is that Michael Keaton’s Batman is making his long awaited return to the DC Universe. Now with just three months to go till the film’s June premiere date, The Flash’s director Andy Muschietti has teased the return of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme.
Batman Returns
Muschietti took to Instagram to drop a short behind-the-scenes clip of Flash’s composer Benjamin Wallfisch at work. However, he’s not composing just any old theme as Keaton’s Batman theme can be heard in the background in this new stylish operatic form, similar to how it sounded in Batman Returns. Wallfisch, who’s a DC veteran with films like Shazam! under his belt, is keeping his composure, but Muschietti is understandably left stunned. When talking about the best superhero themes, let alone best movie themes, Elfman’s Batman score is always somewhere in that conversation. It’s the definition of cool and emotionally chilling. It also captures the gothic undertones of the character perfectly while beautifully reminding us how much of a tragic hero The Dark Knight really is. We got a glimpse of Keaton’s theme in the trailer, but the confirmation that it will be in the film itself will make any DC fan happy. Keaton’s return to the cape and cowl wouldn't feel complete without that theme. There have been so many amazing Batman scores since. However, more than 30 years later, when we think of Batman, we instantly think of Elfman’s music.
What’s Keaton’s Role in The Flash?
The Flash will be adapting the famous comic book storyline Flashpoint. This saw Barry Allen aka The Flash (Ezra Miller) going back in time to save his mother’s life from an unseen force after years of trying to prove his father innocent in her murder case. In the film, this causes The Flash to accidentally break the timeline and sends him to a world where there’s no meta-humans, General Zod won the battle in Man of Steel, and Keaton’s the Batman of this new reality. Keaton’s Batman comes out of retirement to help Flash fix the broken timeline and to do so they team up with another version of Barry and Supergirl (Sasha Calle). Alongside Keaton, Ben Affleck’s Batman is also returning to the film in a small capacity. DC fans would kill for Keaton and Affleck to share a scene together, but for now, that remains to be seen. No matter what happens, Keaton will be a huge part of this film and has been the main focus of the merchandise push so far.
When Does Flash Release?
The Flash is officially releasing on June 16, 2023, but is premiering a whole two months early at CinemaCon in April. The word of mouth surrounding this film has been nothing short of amazing which has only made the wait for it even harder. While DC fans count down the days to Keaton’s return, you can watch the new behind-the-scenes of The Flash down below.