The Flash Footage Reaction: Michael Keaton's Batman Returns [CinemaCon 2022]

CinemaCon is currently taking place in Las Vegas, and tonight, Warner Bros. has taken the stage at the convention to showcase some of what they've got coming down the pipeline. Part of the presentation included new footage from director Andy Muschietti's "The Flash," which has been in the works for a very long time. And even though it's billed as a solo movie, Barry Allen is bringing some super friends along for the ride.

The movie will see Michael Keaton reprising his role as Batman, decades after the actor helped define the role on the big screen in 1989's "Batman" and its deranged sequel, "Batman Returns." What's more, Ben Affleck will also return as the more recent version of the character, as this will be a multiverse adventure. Ezra Miller's Flash will also be joined by a brand new Supergirl, and one can imagine that's the just tip of the iceberg. 

So, what can we expect when this movie finally arrives next year? We're here to give you the lowdown on what we saw at the panel. Spoiler alert: Batman fans will be happy.

The footage kicks off with Barry, who is seemingly anxious and tapping his foot. Lightning strikes and Barry comes out of one universe (perhaps the main universe we've seen in the DCUE up to this point, the one occupied by Ben Affleck's Batman) only to appear in front of his house in another universe. A gray-haired man is watching Barry on a computer monitor. Cut to a giant bookshelf that opens inside of a mansion. I think you can see where this is going, right?

The gray-haired man just so happens to be Michael Keaton returning in all of his Bruce Wayne glory for the first time since 1992, and he's got some awesome suits to boot. Sporting long gray hair (we only see him from behind in these shots), he has somewhere in the neighborhood of seven Batsuits behind those bookcases. What has Batman been up to for all these years? He's been busy, it would seem.

We also saw a very brief glimpse at Sasha Calle as Supergirl – just a quick shot of her face. But perhaps the best part of the whole thing is Keaton saying "You wanna get nuts? Let's get nuts!," repeating the famed line from the original '89 film while standing in the Batcave with short gray hair. Now that's a callback. Beyond that, there was the usual Flash action you'd expect, with shots of the hero running in slow-mo with yellow lightning galore.

The big takeaway here is that the footage was pretty Batman-heavy. Is that just because of the excitement around Keaton's return? Or is this more about Miller's recent troubles? A question for another time, perhaps.

"The Flash" is currently set to hit theaters on June 23, 2023.