NOTE: THIS STORY CONTAINS HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE FLASH. BEWARE!
If you saw The Flash this weekend, you no doubt had quite a chuckle at the wild final reveal that, in the new timeline Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen finds himself in, neither Ben Affleck nor Michael Keaton are Batman. Instead, Bruce Wayne is played by George Clooney, marking the actor’s first time since playing the role in 1997’s disastrous Batman and Robin. It turns out that this is not the ending that was initially conceived for the film and that the end was revised twice due to changing studio regimes.
According to a report in THR, the original ending called for Michael Keaton to be revealed as Bruce Wayne, with Sasha Calle also appearing as Supergirl, indicating they both existed in whatever new timeline Allen found himself in or somehow survived General Zod. You can actually see this sequence being shot in the set pics that leaked way back in June 2021. When that ending was scrapped, a new version was shot, bringing back Keaton as Batman, along with Calle, but this time flanked by Henry Cavill as Superman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. At this point, it was assumed Cavill would be continuing as Superman, with him having also shot the Black Adam cameo. When James Gunn and Peter Safran took ever, and they decided to recast Superman (and cancel Wonder Woman 3), the new ending was conceived.
Of course, the thing that’s on everyone’s mind now is whether Clooney’s return as Batman is permanent, with Flash director Andy Muschietti now directing Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Given that Batman is supposed to be older, it would make sense, even if it seems a long shot. Another theory is that this is the end for Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen, as they could leave him tucked away in his little corner of the multiverse. As casting for the Gunn/ Safran projects gets announced, I’m sure we’ll have a better idea of what’s coming soon, but sadly this also seems to be the end of the road for Michael Keaton and Sasha Calle as Batman & Supergirl.
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