Nearly a year after rumors began to swirl about Michael Keaton possibly returning to the DC universe, it looks like the Batman veteran is still not quite ready to admit what's going on. With shooting for the upcoming The Flash movie beginning soon, it seems Keaton has more than a few thoughts about the idea.

Even now, Keaton isn't quite sure whether he'll be involved in The Flash, but it's not necessarily for the reasons people might expect. According to the actor, it has a little to do with how busy he is, a little to do with the script, and just a bit more to do with COVID-19. It's not that he flat-out hasn't been asked to reprise his role as Batman/Bruce Wayne for the DC Extended Universe. He just simply hasn't caught up with where things are at the moment, which makes the long-respected actor feel that much more relatable.

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"I called them and said, I have to be honest with you. I can't look at anything right now," Keaton said to Deadline when asked about returning as Batman. "I'm so deep into this [current show] I'm doing. Also, I'm prepping a thing I'm producing and getting ready to do down the road in the fall that I'll be in, and I feel responsible to that." He added that his unwillingness to be straight about the whole thing isn't about being sneaky or keeping in line with an NDA. He just simply doesn't know because the rather large amount of work he's currently involved with doesn't give him time to catch up on other projects. This feels very much in line with his similarly non-committal comments back in October on his Batman appearing in The Flash.

Aside from that, Keaton is also worried about COVID-19, saying that he's keeping a close eye on the virus situation wherever any potential filming opportunities might want him. "So, that’s my first thing about all projects," he said. "I look at it and go, is this thing going to kill me, literally? And you know, if it doesn’t, then we talk." The 69-year-old actor may have the right idea there, even in a world with a vaccine finally making its way slowly through the population.

The discussion with Deadline covered plenty of topics, including the idea of a dry cleaner who works for all the superheroes, and aside from the incredible comedic opportunities that come from such a concept, things didn't get much spicier than the Batman discussion. There was no mention of the rumor that Keaton would star alongside Ben Affleck as different versions of Batman, which was a shame but hardly surprising. Granted, the presence of Affleck in the film is probably more likely, considering he's the most recent actor to don the caped crusader's cowl.

Still, hearing Keaton talk about his potential return in The Flash, even in a rather roundabout way, could be encouraging. The fact that he hasn't outright denied it doesn't necessarily mean it's happening, but it's not like he'd have any reason to be coy about it if he genuinely had no intention of taking the part. But until anything is officially confirmed, maybe fans will have to get their kicks imagining what Keaton might've been like on Netflix's The Witcher.

The Flash is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 4, 2022.

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Source: Deadline