Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Batman (1989) is getting an official sequel, which takes place before Batman Returns.
One of the best things about a franchise like Batman, which spans all forms of storytelling, is that we rarely have to say goodbye to any version of the Caped Crusader.
Batman Actors, Old and New
Of course, sadly, some actors who played Bruce Wayne/Batman have passed away, such as Adam West (the 1960s live-action Batman series and movie) and Kevin Conroy (the “Arkham” games and several animated projects). But their iterations live on in other forms.
West’s Batman has been immortalized in animated shows and comics, and while the “Arkham” series’ Batman was voiced by Roger Craig Smith in 2013’s “Batman: Arkham Origins”, who’s returning in “Batman: Arkham Shadow” (2024), it will always be Conroy’s.
Actors like Christian Bale (The Dark Knight trilogy) and Ben Affleck (the DC Universe’s Batman v Superman, Justice League, Suicide Squad, The Flash) have seemingly hung up the cape for good, while others still hold the keys to the Batmobile.
Batman Forever‘s Val Kilmer and Batman & Robin‘s George Clooney aren’t among those still waiting in the wings for new sequels, spinoffs, and Multiverse outings, whether live-action or other — although Clooney did enjoy a cameo in last year’s The Flash.
The Batman‘s Robert Pattinson, however, is yet to get his first sequel, so he’ll be with us for some time. But what about Michael Keaton’s Batman? To date, the Bat of the “Burton-Verse” remains an indisputable fan-favorite, which is largely due to the actor’s enormous likability.
It also has a lot to do with the staying power of Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992). While both are very much products of their time, their quasi-gothic aesthetic and tone continue to set them apart from many other iterations, particularly in film.
Related: Batman: Every Returning Version of the Dark Knight Explained
Michael Keaton’s Batman Movies and Other Appearances
Michael Keaton’s Batman has appeared in several forms of media since his initial live-action outings in Tim Burton’s two Batman films. We’ve seen him in numerous video games, DC Comics’ ongoing “Batman ’89” series, and, more recently, in last year’s The Flash (2023).
While the odds of seeing Keaton reprise his role as Gotham City’s crime-fighter beyond his appearance in The Flash are slim, his version of Batman will be returning in a brand-new “direct” sequel to Tim Burton’s 1989 film, which takes place before Batman Returns.
“Batman: Resurrection” (2024) is absolutely canon. The upcoming novel from Penguin Random House Publisher is being penned by famed Star Wars author John Jackson Miller, who recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to remind us about the exciting news:
“We’re publishing like it’s 1989! Random House Worlds doesn’t do physical galleys often, but has for BATMAN: RESURRECTION, which releases Oct. 15. And yes, it employs what I’ve long felt is the single most successful advertising image in movie history. (Any other contenders?)”
We’re publishing like it’s 1989! Random House Worlds doesn’t do physical galleys often, but has for BATMAN: RESURRECTION, which releases Oct. 15.
And yes, it employs what I’ve long felt is the single most successful advertising image in movie history. (Any other contenders?) pic.twitter.com/KH3Kzm9HJt
— John Jackson Miller (@jjmfaraway) July 13, 2024
“Batman: Resurrection”, a Sequel to Batman (1989)
We’ve talked a lot about the book since it was announced in April, covering everything from returning characters to the entire history of Michael Keaton’s Batman, but we’ve never delved into the synopsis, which has been revealed on the Penguin Random House website.
Set between Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, “Resurrection” will take place during the aftermath of Jack Napier/The Joker’s death. However, while the Clown Prince of Gotham (played by Jack Nicholson in the 1989 film) is gone, his laughter lives on.
Related: Live-Action ‘Batman’ Horror Movie Officially in the Works, Lead Star Revealed
The Joker’s Return in “Batman: Resurrection”
“The Joker is dead, but not forgotten,” the synopsis says, before asking, “Could The Joker have somehow survived?” It’s unlikely we’ll see Jack Nicholson’s The Joker return — he falls from a helicopter in the 1989 film! — but, as the synopsis goes on to say, “But even after death, the Clown Prince of Crime’s imprint can be seen in more than just the pavement.”
It’s The Joker’s influence that lives on, as “remnants” of his gang are “leading wannabes fascinated by his bizarre mystique on a campaign of arson that threatens the city”. Meanwhile, his chemical weapon Smylex continues to put Gotham City denizens in hospital.
Returning Batman (1989) and Batman Returns Characters
Meanwhile, capitalizing off the wave of arson attacks is corrupt wealthy industrialist Max Shreck, who’s played by Christopher Walken in Batman Returns.
He isn’t the only character from the 1992 sequel returning in the book, though — while she isn’t mentioned in the synopsis, John Jackson Miller confirmed in an interview with io9/Gizmodo in April that Michelle Pfeiffer’s Selina Kyle will also appear, saying:
“Whereas the DC ‘Batman ’89’ comics are set after the Tim Burton films, I chose to make Batman: Resurrection a direct sequel novel to [the 1989 movie], meaning characters ranging from Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox to Max Shreck and Selina Kyle from Batman Returns can appear in the book.”
Although she will be a pre-Catwoman Selina Kyle. Meanwhile, reporter Alexander Knox returns alongside Commissioner James Gordon (played by Robert Wuhl and Pat Hingle, respectively, in the films) who are investigating the series of arson attacks on the city.
And Selina isn’t the only returning female character. Vicki Vale, played by Kim Basinger in the first film, returns as Bruce’s girlfriend. However, his obsession with saving Gotham and trying to find out who his mysterious new enemy is has “driven a wedge” between them.
Related: Michael Keaton’s New Batsuit Revealed Ahead of Upcoming ‘Batman’ (1989) Sequel
Bruce Wayne’s Struggles Finally Explored
While “Resurrection” finds Bruce becoming increasingly obsessed with saving Gotham from a mysterious new threat, it will also explore his desire to one day hang up the cape. “By day, his [Batman’s] alter ego, Bruce Wayne, wonders whether there may someday be a future beyond skulking the city’s rooftops or the cavernous halls of his stately manor.”
This will be a refreshing approach for the Burton-Verse. While the two Tim Burton films are no less brooding than the many that followed (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Batman Forever, The Batman), unlike their successors, they never really delved into Bruce Wayne’s psychology and his longing for a normal life all that much.
There’s no Batman without his trusted butler Alfred Pennyworth, played by Michael Gough in the two Tim Burton films, Batman (1989), Batman Returns, and the two Joel Schumacher “sequels”, Batman Forever, and Batman & Robin.
Who Starred Alongside Michael Keaton in Batman (1989) and Batman Returns?
It remains to be seen whether any other characters from Tim Burton’s Batman films, such as Danny DeVito’s Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin, will appear in “Batman: Resurrection”. Or even those yet to get the Burton-Verse treatment like Bane, Poison Ivy, and The Riddler.
The “Batman ’89” comics have already introduced characters who didn’t appear in the Burton films, such as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl and Jonathan Krane/Scarecrow. However, we don’t know if that series and “Resurrection” will be connected canonically.
What’s particularly engaging about “Batman ’89” is that it captures the likenesses of all the actors from the two films, which includes Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Michelle Pfeiffer (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Dent/Two-Face).
The upcoming novel from John Jackson Miller and Penguin Random House will, in a sense, also feature the “likenesses” of all those actors — readers will just have to suspend their disbelief a bit more and rely upon their imagination (as readers do).
As such, this might be the closest we’ll ever get to seeing Michael Keaton’s Bruce Wayne/Batman in his prime (aside from the “’89” comics, of course). And we think we’d much rather see a “de-aged” Keaton in print or in comic book form than on the big screen.
That’s right — technically speaking, Michael Keaton will be “de-aged” in “Batman: Resurrection”, just as he is in “Batman ’89”. Just not in the digital sense like we’re used to seeing in superhero movies nowadays. Perhaps tie-in media is the best of both worlds.
Is Michael Keaton Doing Another Batman movie?
Michael Keaton isn’t expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in a future DC project. Robert Pattinson is the “current” version, and a new actor will also be chosen to play the Dark Knight in the upcoming DC Universe (DCU) reboot The Brave and the Bold (TBA).
Fortunately, the upcoming sequel will satisfy our longing to Keaton’s Bat back in Gotham.
“Batman: Resurrection” will be released on October 15. It’s now available to pre-order from Amazon, Penguin Random House, and Bookshop. It will also be available in audiobook format, meaning all the returning Tim Burton characters will be “recast”.