Not only is Michael Keaton reprising his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film The Flash, but he's also bringing at least one of his classic lines with him.
Warner Bros. Pictures debuted new footage from The Flash at CinemaCon. While said footage is not yet available to the general public, DiscussingFilm reports that in it, Keaton's Batman addresses Ezra Miller's Barry Allen/the Flash, saying, "You wanna get nuts? C'mon, let's get nuts!"
This is, of course, a callback to Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman, in which Keaton's Bruce Wayne says the exact same thing to Jack Nicholson's Joker. This line was previously referenced in the 2017 animated feature The LEGO Batman Movie, with Will Arnett's Batman saying it to Zach Galifianakis' Joker.
At this stage, it's expected that a previous incarnation of a live-action comic book character would utter some of their classic lines when returning for a modern film. After all, the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: No Way Home saw a number of actors from Spider-Man's pre-MCU films show up -- and plenty of them recited some of their own fan-favorite quotes from the past.
Keaton starred as the Dark Knight in Burton's Batman and its 1992 sequel, Batman Returns. He is set to play the character for the first time in over 30 years in the multiverse-traversing DCEU film The Flash, which is currently slated for release on June 23, 2023, having been pushed back from its previous planned release date of Nov. 4, 2022. Keaton will also appear as Batman in the HBO Max-exclusive DCEU film Batgirl, which is scheduled to premiere later this year, though still lacks a specific premiere date.
The Flash sees DCEU mainstay Miller reprise their role as Barry Allen. Fellow DCEU actors Kiersey Clemons and Michael Shannon reprise their roles as Iris West and General Zod, respectively. In addition to Keaton returning as the Burton-Verse's Dark Knight, Ben Affleck is set to reprise his role as the DCEU's version of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film is currently expected to mark Affleck's final outing as the Caped Crusader.
Moreover, The Flash sees Ron Livingston step into the role of Henry Allen, taking over for Billy Crudup, who played the character in both versions of Justice League. The Flash also features a number of DCEU newcomcers, including Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen and Sasha Calle as a mysterious version of Supergirl.
The Flash speeds into theaters on June 23, 2023.
Source: Twitter
