Jeffrey Dean Morgan isn’t sure of his DC future after Zack Snyder’s exit

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Warner Bros.' DC Universe seems to be constantly changing as the studio attempts to get their comic-book franchise in order, but the future does look bright with a variety of interesting projects over the horizon, including the damn-near comedic SHAZAM! and Todd Phillips' gritty JOKER starring Joaquin Phoenix. The franchise got its start with Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL back in 2013, and Snyder would go on to take a larger role in shaping the future of the series before stepping down. It's clear that Snyder's vision for the franchise likely won't be realized at this point, which leaves a lot of "what-if's" on the table, including the chance of seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Walking Dead) return as the Thomas Wayne version of Batman for FLASHPOINT.

The actor played the role of Bruce Wayne's father for a brief sequence in BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, and when Warner Bros. announced FLASHPOINT, reportedly based on the comic-book story of the same name, fans were excited at the possibility of seeing Thomas Wayne as Batman. The "Flashpoint" story finds Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) awakening in an altered DC Universe full of some fairly significant differences, including that Thomas Wayne, not Bruce Wayne, has taken on the mantle of the Batman. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has previously said that he'd be down to reprise the role, but as The Flash film has dealt with plenty of issues of its own, including a revolving door of directors, Jeffrey Dean Morgan told MTV during Comic-Con that he's not entirely sure about his future in the franchise, particularly now that Zack Snyder isn't as involved.

I’ll keep talking about it because it’s really fun to talk about and I really would like Warner Bros. to open their ears a little bit. When Zack Snyder was involved in the DC world more, I think that there was a real possibility. But now that he’s kind of stepped away a little bit, I’ve heard different things that Flashpoint might not be going in that direction. It’ll be more of an origin story for Flash. But look, I’m always here and would love to do it.

After both Seth Grahame-Smith and Rick Famuyiwa exited The Flash project due to creative differences, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (VACATION) were brought in to helm the film, but their vision may be abandoning the dark themes many expected the story to take as it has been reported that they're looking to BACK TO THE FUTURE as a touchstone. I can't exactly see Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Batman playing Doc Brown to Ezra Miller's Flash, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Ezra Miller is certainly a fan of of Thomas Wayne in the Flashpoint story, previously saying that he believes "the emotional arc of the Thomas Wayne stuff in Flashpoint is one of the illest [parts]. And to see that different manifestation of Batman and his whole different style. And I love the reality that you have this universe that is so inverted from the one that we know. And this one factor remains the same, but in this flipped way. Batman is steady, but it's going to be the result of a different side of the same tragedy with Thomas Wayne instead of Bruce, and that's dope." The standalone FLASH movie is expected to kick off production next year.