Will Birdman play a bird man? Will Batman return to the world of superheroes?

The answer to those questions appears to be “Possibly” and “Yes, definitely!”

The Hollywood Reporter has some big Friday afternoon news: Michael Keaton, formerly both Batman and Birdman, is “closing a deal” to play the villain in the upcoming Spider-Man relaunch, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Keaton was apparently one of Sony and Marvel’s first choices for the part, but their initial talks “stalled out.” After exploring other options, the producers came back to Keaton and this time things are working towards a happier conclusion.

THR doesn’t have any details on Homecoming’s story or who Keaton might play. I’m just guessing the Vulture could be a top candidate because he’s one of the few Spider-Man villains who’d be the right age for Keaton, he’s a major Spidey bad guy who hasn’t been touched in films before, he’s almost been touched in films before (Raimi planned to make him the villain in the planned Spider-Man 4 that never got off the ground), and because it would be absolutely perfect for the guy who played Birdman to now play the Vulture. There are other options for Keaton though. (Off the top of my head, he could also play the Jackal, who was one of Spidey’s college professors who turned out to be a psychopath who created clones of people, including Spider-Man himself.) Whoever he’s playing, it’s fun casting, and Keaton should be an awesome addition to the film.

Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring Tom Holland and directed by Jon Watts, opens in theaters July 7, 2017.

More From WDKS-FM