Even though he was announced for the project last summer, and director Andy Muschietti revealed that he’d play a substantial role in the story, Michael Keaton recently cast some doubt on his involvement with The Flash. The actor cited his jam-packed upcoming schedule as a potential roadblock, as well as his concerns over traveling to England in the midst of a global pandemic.

Production on the Scarlet Speedster’s solo debut is set to kick off at the end of next month, so it could potentially throw the entire movie into chaos if Keaton either declines the opportunity or is unable to reprise the role of Bruce Wayne for the first time in 30 years. Obviously, The Flash is no stranger to a setback or two having been mired in development hell for a long time now, while the script has already reportedly been heavily rewritten after Ray Fisher confirmed that he would no longer play the DCEU’s Cyborg as long as Walter Hamada was still in charge.

There are always ways to get around these things in the end, though, usually involving plenty of promises and a boatload of cash, but insider Daniel Richtman is offering up the intel that Christian Bale or George Clooney may step into the breach to play The Flash‘s multiversal Batman should Keaton end up bailing on his hotly anticipated return to the world of comic book blockbusters.

Of course, Clooney has already laughed off suggestions that he could be tempted to appear in the film, while you can almost feel Bale bristling in any interview he does when the subject of Batman comes up, as the actor has long since closed the book on that part of his career. There’s also the fact that the former Caped Crusaders are busy enough as it is, with Bale wrapped up in Thor: Love and Thunder before jumping straight into the lead role on David O. Russell’s next film, while Clooney is currently directing The Tender Bar, ironically starring The Flash‘s Ben Affleck. As such, maybe Warner Bros. are better off giving Val Kilmer a call in the worst case scenario.

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