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The Flash: Batman Set Photos Offer New Look at Dark Knight

It’s no secret at this point: Warner Bros’ upcoming Flash movie will not only be a showcase for Ezra Miller’s speedy Barry Allen but for a few other titans of the DC universe. As previously reported, the multiverse-spanning adventure will introduce the DCEU’s very own Supergirl, played by Sasha Calle, as well as see the return of both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as Batman. Yeah, it’s a very big movie — perhaps the most consequential DC big-screen event since 2017’s Justice League brought the world’s greatest heroes together for the first time.

Affleck’s return to the cape and cowl would be notable enough, especially after he initially bowed out of the role after attempts to write and direct his own Batman solo adventure, a movie now being directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson. But Keaton’s return is huge. Almost 30 years since his last visit to Gotham, his version of Bruce Wayne is back, presumably as another Bat-mentor for young Barry.

We’ve already seen hints of just how faithful director Andy Muschietti’s first DCEU outing will be to the world created by Tim Burton in the ’90s, including with a Bat-symbol and suit that look very reminiscent of the ones Keaton wore in 1992’s Batman Returns. Leaks from the set of The Flash also revealed that Keaton’s Batmobile will appear in the movie, although it’s unclear if we’ll actually see it on the road or just as a show piece in the classic Batcave. Keaton himself has been spotted on set too, chatting with Miller during a scene filmed outside of a courthouse (presumably during or after an appeal by his Barry’s father, Henry).

So, we know quite a bit about what Keaton’s return will look like, but what about Affleck’s? Well, new photos and videos taken from the movie’s set in Glasgow, Scotland may reveal what Affleck’s new Batsuit and wheels will look like in the movie.

Check out the Dark Knight both on and off his new Batcycle on the Glasgow set below:

#Batman spotted in George Square! It was Indiana Jones the other week… 😄 pic.twitter.com/YnBvF3H7M8

— 𝕍 for Very (@hail2thetealeaf) July 26, 2021

New close-up shot of Ben Affleck’s #Batman stunt double riding the Batcycle on the set of #TheFlash pic.twitter.com/t5f4HosX7G

— Big Screen Leaks (@bigscreenleaks) July 26, 2021

Batman no set de The Flash 👀🦇 pic.twitter.com/7RZOwsqDo8

— PN MIDIA (@pn_midia) July 26, 2021

According to The Herald Scotland, which obtained videos from the set located in George Square and some of the surrounding streets, this is likely a scene set in Gotham City, with a “Gotham Transit Authority” bus also spotted in the area. That said, it’s unclear WHICH Gotham this is — Affleck’s or Keaton’s — although Glasgow Live reports this could be a chase sequence set in the Gotham of the Burtonverse, with some of the real-life city’s Gothic architecture recreating the look and feel of Keaton’s world.

It’s very likely that the man in the new Batsuit is a stunt double and not Affleck himself, and video footage shows the stand-in zooming through the Glasgow city streets on a heavily-armored bike, a vehicle that might remind some of the Batpod from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy but with way more armor plating. As for the Batsuit, the design of the cowl looks largely familiar, with the smaller ears that differentiate Affleck’s look from all the other big-screen Batmen, including Keaton. He’s also wearing similar goggles to the ones worn in Justice League. The suit also looks to keep the gray-black color palette from past DCEU installments.

Just how all these worlds collide remains a mystery, but some fans have pointed to seminal DC comic book arc Flashpoint by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert as the most likely inspiration for the film. In the book, Barry goes back in time to stop Reverse-Flash from killing his mother, a decision that completely alters the reality of the DC universe. In this new status quo, Bruce Wayne died on that fateful night in Crime Alley, transforming Thomas Wayne in the Dark Knight and Martha in the Joker. And there plenty of other disasters along the way, including a war between Aquaman’s Atlantis and Wonder Woman’s Themyscira.

Will all this come to pass in the movie? Keaton bringing back the Burtonverse, Supergirl’s inclusion, and Affleck taking another stab at the DCEU’s Batman complicate this being a straight adaptation of Flashpoint, especially all the story baggage already tied to these characters from past movies. Another series of set photos also teased that there might be TWO Barry Allens running around in this movie, suggesting Miller will meet other Flashes during his solo adventure. We’d love to see Grant Gustin show up!

The Flash opens in theaters on Nov. 4, 2022. In the meantime, check out the complete schedule of upcoming DC movies here.

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