One of the big things we know about The Flash is that it will spotlight Michael Keaton back as Batman in his first time donning the cape and cowl since 1992’s Batman Returns. But he isn’t the only actor playing the Caped Crusader in this upcoming DC movie, as Ben Affleck’s Batman will also be teaming back up with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen. Well, when that version of Bruce Wayne returns to the big screen, one of his other key allies will be accompanying him, as a new international trailer for The Flash has revealed that Jeremy Irons is reprising Alfred Pennyworth.
Like Affleck, Irons made his DC Extended Universe debut in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, followed by him participating in both versions of Justice League. Since The Flash is expected to be Affleck’s last time playing Batman (not to mention he has no interest in directing a DC movie), it’s nice that Irons’ Alfred will be accompanying him for this final ride, although since he’s shown in the Batcave, I’m skeptical that Irons and Affleck actually crossed paths again during production. In any case, check out the quick taste we get of Batman’s trusted butler and father figure in The Flash international trailer originally shared by The Flash Film News.
UPDATE: Warner Bros. has officially released this final trailer for The Flash, which you can watch below.
Given that Michael Gough, who played the Alfred Pennyworth to Michael Keaton’s Batman, passed away in 2011, that naturally necessitated his version of the character pass away as well. So when the main version of Barry Allen meets that Bruce Wayne in The Flash, he’ll be living in Wayne Manor all by himself. Ben Affleck’s Batman, on the other hand, still has Jeremy Irons’ Alfred in his life, as we see him coordinating communication between Barry and Bruce, no doubt for the mission we’ll see these two deal with together early on in the movie. Irons is the second actor to currently be playing Alfred in live-action, with Andy Serkis holding down the role in The Batman universe.
The rest of this trailer for The Flash covers beats that have been shown in past previews, namely how Barry goes back in time to save his mother, only to end up in a reality where she’s alive, but there are no meta-humans. When Michael Shannon’s General Zod arrives on Earth to carry out his same objective from Man of Steel, Barry will need to team up with his doppelgänger, Michael Michael Keaton’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl to thwart the invading Kryptonians, although that will be complicated by the emergence of another villain who fans believe they’ve already identified.
The events of The Flash will reset the DCEU continuity and usher in the DC Universe era, which will include a new Batman being brought in to lead The Brave and the Bold. Early reception to the Scarlet Speedster’s movie has been largely positive, including author Stephen King saying that he “loved it.” If you’d like to revisit the DCEU as we enter this final stretch of DC movies history, you can do so with a Max subscription.
The Flash speeds into theaters on June 16, and tickets can be purchased now. Once you’ve done that, take a look at the other 2023 new movie releases arriving soon. Jeremy Irons fans should also know the actor will also star in the upcoming action movie The Beekeeper, which stars Jason Statham.
