Keanu Reeves is the kind of actor who could play a traffic cone and audiences would flock to see it, so the idea of him taking on an iconic role such as Batman seems to be a clear winner. While Reeves will soon voice an animated iteration of Batman in DC League of Super-Pets, when asked if he would consider becoming the Dark Knight in a live-action project, Reeves seemed more than up for taking on the role, but perhaps with a little bit of a twist.
There are fewer stars in Hollywood who come with the kind of reputation that Keanu Reeves has gained over the years, whether it is as a generous actor to work with, someone who is forever dedicated to their roles or just a generally nice guy to be around. For that reason, there are many roles that fans would like to see the actor take over, including the likes of Ghost Rider in the MCU, and Batman in the DCEU. When it comes to the latter of these, there are already three different actors behind the mask in the form of Robert Pattinson, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, and that is discounting Reeves’ voice-over of the character. When it comes to appearing as Batman in a live-action project, Reeves recently told Extra that it would be a dream to play Gotham’s hero, but he doesn’t think it will happen anytime soon. He said:
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“It’s always been a dream, but [Robert] Pattinson’s got Batman right now and he’s doing awesome, so maybe down the road. Maybe when they need an older Batman.”
Keanu Reeves Almost Played Batman in Batman Forever
Although it is a dream role for Reeves, the actor has already had an opportunity to appear as Batman in the Dark Knight’s third big screen outing. Following the departure of Michael Keaton after Batman Returns, a new Bruce Wayne was needed, and before Val Kilmer became the billionaire crime-fighter, Reeves, along with Moon Knight’s Ethan Hawke, were both offered the role but passed up on the option.
In a case of “what might have been,” Reeves has previously commented that he has since regretted the decision not to play Batman at that time, but everything is for a reason, and there are other roles that Reeves may have missed out on had he accepted the chance to star in Joel Schumacher’s comic book movie.
While the world waits for Reeves’ chance to come around again to appear as Batman on screen, it is his Marvel future that has regularly been the subject of internet speculation. While there has been no sight of Reeves joining the MCU just yet, the actor has talked about meeting with Kevin Feige on multiple occasions about taking on a role in the biggest movie franchise in the world, but the timing has just never landed right. With Reeves deeply involved in the recent sequel to The Matrix, and the John Wick franchise amongst others, the actor has a busy schedule, making any kind of long-term commitment that Marvel would require a bit tricky to negotiate. However, hopefully in time, we will see Reeves taking on a role in the MCU and defending Gotham as Batman, as Reeves himself certainly seems up for both challenges.
