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Credit: DC / Warner Bros.Who could have predicted that Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight would return decades after his last appearance in Tim Burton’s iconic Batman universe?
While Keaton had already made a name for himself by playing the foul-mouthed “bio-exorcist” in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988), the star cemented himself as a household name when he answered the Bat-Signal for the first time in Batman (1989) the following year.
Keaton reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the sequel Batman Returns (1992). However, it was to be the last time he would — at least in the Burtonverse. But this doesn’t mean that Michael Keaton’s Batman hasn’t returned in an official capacity since.
That said, while he returned to the role in The Flash (2023), the DC Extended Universe installment is a Multiverse adventure and isn’t actually set in the Burtonverse, which means that Keaton’s Caped Crusader is a Multiversal variant. Still, it was awesome to see him back.
Fortunately, the Burtonverse continues to expand through tie-in media, all of which is considered canon with Tim Burton’s two films.
Now, just a few months after John Jackson Miller’s novel “Batman: Resurrection” was finally released in both hard-copy and audiobook formats, the author has announced that he’s working on another sequel set in the Burtonverse, titled “Batman: Revolution”.
Last year’s “Resurrection” takes place in the aftermath of Jack Napier/The Joker’s death. “Revolution” takes place several weeks after Miller’s first book, during the summer, continuing to fill the narrow space between the 1989 film and Batman Returns.
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Where “Resurrection” dealt with the Rogues Gallery villain Clayface, “Revolution” features The Riddler — but not the version played by Jim Carrey in Batman Forever (1995). That film, along with Batman & Robin (1997), is no longer canon within the Burtonverse.
In a statement about the book, Miller confirmed that both “Resurrection” and “Revolution” are canon with Tim Burton’s two films, as are the ongoing “Batman ’89” comics that take place after Batman Returns, which his novels will “coexist neatly with” in terms of canon.
Related: New ‘Batman’ (1989) Sequel Confirms Return of Several Characters From Tim Burton Films
However, while the Burtonverse continues to expand through Miller’s work, sadly, it does mean that Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader will be recast for the audiobook.
Though Keaton returned for The Flash, and also for the Batgirl film, which was scrapped by Warner Bros. in 2022, it seems the actor has no intention of returning for a fifth time.
Not only that, but Keaton is highly unlikely to lend his vocal talents to the iconic Gotham vigilante in the audiobook version of “Revolution” anyway. The “Resurrection” audiobook is narrated by Will Damron, and, as such, the new book will likely bring back that voice actor.
“Batman: Revolution” will be released on October 28, 2025. It will be available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook formats. For more information, visit Penguin Random House.
Are you excited to be seeing more of Michael Keaton’s Dark Knight? Let us know in the comments down below!