Jeffrey Dean Morgan Says He’ll Be Too Old To Play Flashpoint Batman Soon
Jeffrey Dean Morgan says he’s running out of time to play the Flashpoint version of Batman. Morgan appears in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as Thomas Wayne for the film’s opening sequence; having worked with Zack Snyder before on Watchmen, many assumed this uncredited role would lead to bigger things in the DC Extended Universe. In the comics, Thomas becomes Batman instead of Bruce in an alternate universe created during the Flashpoint event. Some hoped that Morgan would play Flashpoint Batman in the upcoming The Flash movie.
Despite The Flash invoking “Speed Force,” Morgan won’t be playing its Flashpoint Batman. Instead, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will be reprising their respective Batmen in the film—which means that Thomas Wayne/Flashpoint Batman likely won’t factor into the movie. Many will find this disappointing as Snyder and fans have expressed interest in seeing Morgan’s Flashpoint version of Thomas Wayne. Morgan himself, while still interested in bringing that story to life, thinks the window of opportunity to do so is getting smaller by the day.
Speaking with CinePOP, Morgan discussed the possibility of playing Flashpoint Batman as well as his availability and general interest in comic books. Morgan explained:
"Look, the top of my list has always been Batman. That's always been my favorite superhero and talking about Flashpoint has been very fun. I get asked about it a lot. I love the story of Flashpoint. Who knows? Who knows with DC? Who knows how these franchises work? I suppose I probably have a two or three-year window and then I'm gonna be too old. There's no way. Look, I'm available. Everybody knows I'm available. I say I'm available, I've been saying it for five years. We'll see what happens.”
Morgan went on to say of playing superheroes, “there are so many superheroes. I like Lobo a lot. I have something maybe cooking and I'll let you know soon if that turns out to be,” before saying that he hopes he’ll be able to play in the world of comic books for a long time. In addition to his role as Edward Blake/The Comedian in Watchmen, Morgan currently stars as Negan on The Walking Dead, another property based on a comic book. His propensity for playing tough guys would certainly benefit Lobo, an interstellar mercenary and bounty hunter, as well as Flashpoint Batman.
Although Warner Bros. has largely abandoned the Snyder-Verse and deemed Snyder’s Justice League non-canonical, the latter arguably sets up The Flash better than the theatrical version. On top of that, fans have expressed greater interest in “restoring the Snyder-Verse” than the DCEU’s new direction. That said, there’s no reason audiences can’t have the best of both worlds; enjoying the likes of Robert Pattinson’s Batman, Keaton’s, Affleck’s, and even Morgan’s; Bruce’s father factoring into any future projects featuring Affleck’s Batman. However, not unlike Ray Fischer's Cyborg, Morgan’s role in the DCEU may have walked away with Snyder and the studio doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to bring him back.
Source: CinePOP