First pictures: Michael Keaton returns as Batman at the age of 70

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Michael Keaton

Photo: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images, NBC. All rights reserved.

30 years after his last appearance as Batman, Michael Keaton returns to the role of the bat man twice at the age of 70: both in the Warner film “The Flash” (coming to German cinemas on November 3) and the actor will be seen in the HBO film “Batgirl” (which will probably start a little later). Now are on Twitter first Images from the Batgirl set appeared, on which Keaton in Batman gear appears to be handling a night vision goggle.

Actually, Keaton didn’t want to be a bat anymore

In 1989, the American played the Dark Knight in Tim Burton’s Batman. Three years later, the actor reappeared as the eponymous superhero in Batman Returns. At the time, he turned down the offer for a third episode and in the years that followed spoke rather contemptuously about superhero roles. In the Oscar-winning black comedy Birdman, he even played a worn-out superhero actor whose life has gone off the rails.

It was probably the script

In November of last year, Keaton finally declared in one Podcast of the film industry journal “Variety” his change of heart: “(I was wondering) ‘How about that?’ or ‘What if I had to do it all over again’” and further: “Just because I was curious didn’t mean I wanted to do it. So it took a long time, honestly… I don’t just say, I do it. It must be good. And there has to be a reason for it.” Speaking at a fan event called DC-FanDome China, The Flash director Andy Muschietti revealed that the key to Keaton’s return was the “great script.”

What will become of the old heroes?

Incidentally, Christina Hodson, a woman, wrote the respective screenplays for “The Flash” and “Batgirl”. It will be exciting to see how they direct the aging actor: in both blockbusters, Keaton will serve as a sidekick for younger main characters. Perhaps the result says a lot about how Hollywood will deal with its disreputable old white heroes in the future.



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