Michael Keaton to examine COVID-19 situation in UK before reprising his Batman role

Actor Michael Keaton has revealed that he isn't fully committed to donning his Batman suit for the upcoming Flash movie due to the current coronavirus situation in the UK. Keaton, who played the original Batman in the 1989 film of the same name by Tim Burton, had second thoughts about reprising his role in upcoming DCEU movies including the rumoured "multiverse" film in 2022. Read more to find out why Michael Keaton is unsure of reprising his role as Batman.

Michael Keaton unsure about reprising Batman role due to the UK's COVID-19 crisis

In an interview with Deadline, Michael Keaton said he is unsure if he will reprise his iconic Batman role in the upcoming DCEU superhero film, opposite Ezra Miller's Barry Allen. The Birdman actor said he is blessed to be working amidst the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and cited his busy schedule and coronavirus concerns in the UK as some of the reasons he is hesitant to play Batman once again. 

The actor added that he is currently busing producing a project among other things, but he is open to playing the role once he sees the final draft of the upcoming The Flash movie. Keaton has admitted that COVID-19 is one of his biggest concerns and will be his deciding factor in taking up new projects. He added that he consistently monitors the situation in the UK to determine when it's safe for him to get back to work. He revealed he is currently cooped on his 17 acres of land far away from the city, staying away from everyone due to the severity of the pandemic in the UK. Ben Affleck's Batman is already confirmed to have a substantial part in The Flash 2022, as Keaton had previously joked that there will be "all the 127 previous Batmen" which will be part of the DCEU multiverse film. 

In the last seven days, 38,330 positive cases were detected in the UK with 5379 new cases detected on Wednesday alone, according to the UK government coronavirus data website. Meanwhile, The Flash 2022 movie will be directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama, IT movies) and is set for a release date of November 4, 2022.

Promo Image: AP, still from Tim Burton's Batman (1989)