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There are only so many actors who could be considered “wholesome” and “good.” It’s not easy to have a good head on your shoulders when the world is constantly asking you to make yourself a meme or become a viral sensation. Some people can handle it, others can’t. You can’t blame them! Most of the time, at least.

Of course, there is a short list of Cool Guys who just so happened to be actors, like Henry Winkler and his earnest Twitter account, or Hugh Grant and his upcoming portrayal of an Oompa Loompa. But one actor is constantly going above and beyond when it comes to his fame, and that’s Mr. Keanu Reeves. You know him, you love him, and you’ve seen him shoot a gun from every angle imaginable. But he could not be more different than his on-screen counterpart in John Wick.

Reeves recently surprised fans by appearing at a signing for his latest issue of BRZRKR, Reeves’ comic book series. Even though it was a last minute event, the fans came through, including one young boy named Noah who was positively star stuck while meeting his favorite actor. Isn’t it fun when celebrities introduce themselves as if they are just a normal person on the street and not one of the most beloved thespians of our time? It must be humbling for them.

The actor took the time to meet and chat with Noah about his favorite Reeves character, like Duke Caboom, his action figure from Toy Story 4, and possibly his most underrated character (besides that one rare time when he played a serial killer).

This isn’t surprising, coming from the self-proclaimed Puppy King who periodically crashes his fan’s weddings and gifts his co-workers with expensive watches. But it’s nice to confirm that he loves kids, too.

Obviously, this just made the internet love him more.

Did you know that Reeves is left-handed? Well, now you do! Of course, Reeves will probably never admit that he’s the greatest celebrity because he’s notoriously humble and private. But I have no problem whatsoever telling everyone that this man is pure joy personified and should never experience anything bad for the rest of his life. Every tongue that rises against Keanu will fall eventually.

The names we choose to give our children can significantly impact their lives. Multiple studies from across the globe have found that a person’s name can influence their employment, social and economic outcomes.

Unfortunately, humans make snap judgments about one another, and having an unusual name can lead people to make unflattering assumptions. “We’re hardwired to try to figure out in a heartbeat whether or not we want to trust somebody, whether we want to run from somebody,” Northwestern University researcher David Figlio said, according to Live Science.

However, an increasing number of parents are giving their children non-traditional names to help them stand out. “Parents are trying to be original, almost branding their kids in an era where names are viewed on the same level as Twitter handles or a website URL,” writer Sabrina Rogers-Anderson said.

Ruby, a mother on TikTok, took a hard stance on parents giving their children names that sound childish in a post that’s received over 11 million views. Ruby says she named her kids as “adults, not babies” hoping they would never “outgrow” their names.

@rubyyvillarreal

#stitch with @nikkiruble love having nicknames as they are younger and it doesnt mean they will perfer it over their name as they get older. Just gives them options 🤷🏻‍♀️ #nicknames #babynames #babytok #adultnames #pregnancytiktok #toddlersoftiktok #momtok #momlife #babynames #babyname

“The whole concept when I was trying to look for a name and choose a name for her is I did not want her to outgrow her name,” she said in the viral video. “I wanted the name to fit her as a baby, as a toddler, as a child, and into adulthood. So, it’s like I really am happy with what I ended up with naming her and it just fits her so well.”

She captioned the video, “love having nicknames as they are younger and it doesn’t mean they will prefer it over their name as they get older. Just gives them options.”

People in the comments responded with modern names they think that kids will outgrow.

“My name is Koazy and I’m here for a job interview,” Stalker joked. “Hello sir, I am Bluey Mason Garrison! I was called in for a job interview last Tuesday,” Pastel Purr added.

“I can’t imagine knowing [a] 30-year-old named Emma or Posie,” Mikey wrote.

However, a lot of people commented that names that seem like they’ll be outgrown will sound fine in the future when those names are popular with the new generation. “Kids grow up with their generation having their own names on trend. They will be normal adult names when they are grown,” Kerry wrote.

“Names grow with the generation,” Lauren added. “The name Dennis sounded like a baby name once too. Names grow up just like generations.”

@rubyyvillarreal

Replying to @19eighty_5 my kids name and the process 😬 #babynames #nicknames #babytok #adultnames #momsoftiktok #momlife #momtok #pregnancytiktok #toddlersoftiktok #babyname #babyfever

In a follow-up video, Ruby shared the names she gave her children. Her girl is named Karla Esmerelda and her boy is called Deluca.

“I just really liked how simple, how bold, and strong that the name by itself just really kind of is. Doing some research names with the letter K tend to be like very bold and powerful names, so I really wanted it with a K and not with a C,” she said.

She named her son Deluca, after a doctor on “Grey’s Anatomy.” She said she chose the name because there was nothing to connect it to, and it sounded “nice.”

Having a pen pal can be really rewarding. In the early 90s, when letter writing was still a required learning objective and classes got to have penpals from another school, it was exciting to build a connection with someone through writing letters. But for most of us, that practice died off as we started making those lasting connections through social media.

But when Ginny Schrappen got word from her church’s deacon that a prisoner wanted a pen pal more than two decades ago, before social media was a thing, she stepped up to volunteer. According to CBS Evening News, Lamar Johnson wrote to Schrappen’s church hoping that one of the parishioners would write to him while he was in prison.

Others may have been turned off due to the crime for which Johnson was imprisoned, which was murder. But Schrappen figured, “He’s not going to come and get me.”

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Of course, the elderly woman was safe because Johnson was incarcerated and expected to remain there for most of his natural life. Except, after Schrappen began to get to know the then-convicted murderer, the more she believed he couldn’t have hurt anyone.

It turned out her intuition was right. Johnson was recently exonerated after 28 years in prison after the Midwest Innocence Project helped fight for his release. The real perpetrator also confessed, clearing Johnson’s name.

After Johnson took some time to become acclimated to being outside of the prison, he made the trip to knock on one of his best friend’s doors. Schrappen was thrilled to see her friend and planted several grandma kisses on his cheek as proof.

“Especially when somebody is innocent. You want someone to believe in you,” Johnson told CBS. “Cause when you have people that believe in you and they won’t give up on you, then it makes it harder for you to give up on yourself.”

Watch their sweet first meeting below:

As anyone born after 1997 can attest, taking photos feels awkward. Unless you’re a professional model, it’s nigh on impossible to nail a pose and facial expression that isn’t completely cringey—and even harder to not get stuck in the same pose and facial expression that seemed to work once upon a time over and over again.

That’s with a traditional photography setup. Now, with most pictures being taken with our camera phones, there’s the additional variable of having to find the perfect angle ourselves. It’s all a recipe for tragic, embarrassing disaster, I tell you.

However, scroll through any Gen Zer’s social media and you’ll see a treasure trove of effortlessly cool and candid selfies. Sure, the cynic might say it’s purely the use of filters that makes their images look that way, but there’s more to it than that. And posing expert Christine Buzan has the perfect explanation.

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First off, Buzan’s credentials: Her online guide, “101 Ways to Pose,” has been featured in the likes of “Cosmopolitan,” “Refinery 29” and “Fashionista.” Not to mention 1.4 million people follow her TikTok handle, @LookGoodInPhotos, for easy and effective photo-taking tips, from how to master a sultry smile to acing cute Disneyland pics. In other words…she knows her stuff.

See on Instagram

Extensive knowledge, along with being a millennial herself, has prompted Buzan to form a rather unique, but totally compelling theory. Perhaps the awkwardness around photos for folks of this age group all comes down to their relationship with technology.

“The one thing all millennials have in common—whether you were born in 1981 or 1996—is that technology changed really rapidly throughout the course of our youth and adolescence,” she says in a recently uploaded clip.

@lookgoodinphotos #stitch @itskatesteinberg Why are millennials so awkward in photos? Here’s my hot take on why Gen Z’s are so much more comfortable in front of the camera. Watch the whole thing before you come for me! – #posingforphotos #millennialposing #genzvsmillennials ♬ original sound – CHRISTINE BUZAN | POSING TIPS

“This is especially true for photography,” she continues, noting that within 30 years this generation went from wind-up film cameras to smartphones. In her mind, millennials haven’t quite caught up mentally to see pictures as an everyday piece of life, instead of a precious commodity.

Buzan even has her own anecdote of “finding a disposable camera and then taking like a million photos of stupid stuff” and getting in trouble because back then, “film was expensive. It cost money to buy the film, it cost money to buy the camera, it cost money to develop it.”

Experiences like this, where millennials were taught that taking photos was not only a “special” event, but a high-stress one to boot since you’d “only have a few tries” to capture a moment, have basically ingrained in them a “scarcity mindset when it comes to posing for photos,” Buzan argued.

Gotta say, it makes sense. The part of me currently triggered by excruciating memories of stressing over those school portraits that rolled around once a year is inclined to agree.

Buzan’s video resonated with other viewers as well. A few pointed out how not being able to see the final product instantly (like you can nowadays) also contributed to getting stuck in poses that felt “safe” at the time but today come across as a little stiff. Some also felt like it had to do with how millennials were instilled with a sense of “shame” when they first started taking selfies.

We can learn a lot from Gen Z when it comes to incorporating a carefree vibe. Buzan thinks that photos are no different. Her advice is to simply give ourselves permission to experiment in the same way that Gen Z does. Rather than seeing picture-taking as a precious event, see it as a form of everyday expression, like you would with chatting or texting.

“The worst thing that happens if you don’t like a photo is you delete it or don’t post it.”

Parents who misbehave at their kids’ sporting events have become so commonplace that it’s forced sports psychologists to come up with a name for the behavior: Little League Parent Syndrome (LLPS).

Parents with LLPS are known for sitting in the stands and verbally abusing other players, parents, referees and umpires during games. This behavior has led to a decrease in the number of umpires and referees in youth sports because volunteers aren’t willing to subject themselves to harassment.

“There has been a huge drop off in the number of available referees and officials in youth sports due to the obnoxious behavior of parents,” says Rick Wolff, a sports-parenting expert, author, and 20-year host of the WFAN radio’s “The Sports Edge,” told The Washington Post.

So what has driven parents to such extreme behavior?

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There are many different ways for a parent to be infected by LLPS. One of the biggest reasons is pure narcissism. Parents see their children as part of their identity, so if their kids lose, they feel like they lost, too.

“They often judge the child’s performance as an indication of how good of a parent they are,” Coach and Play Baseball says. “If Johnny hits a home run then ‘I must be a good parent.’ If Johnny strikes out, ‘Then I am embarrassed and I’m going to lay into him for embarrassing me.’”

Youth sports have also become more competitive because many parents see them as a potential road to lucrative college scholarships or professional contracts. Although, the truth is that only 0.3% of high school athletes will ever get a full-ride scholarship to a university.

In fact, many parents wind up spending more money chasing scholarships than their kids would have received if they ended up getting one.

A New Jersey youth baseball organization has found a unique way to combat parents with LLPS who harass umpires. The new rule states: If you fight with the umps during a game, you have to volunteer your time to umpire three games before you’re allowed back as a spectator.

Parents who are forced to umpire will not do so alone. They will be paired with a certified umpire to ensure their calls are correct.

Deptford Township Little League President Don Bozzuffi hopes that when abusive parents become umpires, they’ll learn that things look a lot different behind the plate than they do from the stands.

“The main purpose is not for them to be able to call a baseball game, but for them to see what’s going on out here, and it’s not that easy,” Bozzuffi told ABC 30. “They think that the call was bad, which always amazes me that they can see a strike better over there than the umpire can one foot in back of them,” Bozzuffi added.

Ultimately, it’s all about creating a positive environment for kids that overzealous parents can’t ruin. “They’re not baseball players, they’re children. So always keep that in the back of your mind and let them play,” said Bozzuffi.

It’s already major day for The Little Mermaid fans, as Disney dropped a new trailer and a ton of new posters for the upcoming live-action film. Halle Bailey, who plays the lead character Ariel, helps save Flounder from danger, pines to be a human, and swims with the jellyfish — making it seem like a fun, colorful adaptation of the cartoon.

Now, fans are also getting to hear what Bailey as Ariel sounds like. Her new spin on “Part Of Your World” is out today, blending her powerful and controlled vocals with the classic lyrics that even the most casual fan can tackle at karaoke.

“I wanna be where the people are,” she sings, the part that also appears in the trailer. “I wanna see / Wanna see them dancing.”

Listeners are already loving the song, with people writing “Halle Bailey, the VOCALIST THAT YOU AREEE” and “5 seconds in and I’m already in tears!” It’s very clear that crowds are going to turn out in full force for this one.

The movie’s complete soundtrack drops on May 19, just a few days before it hits theaters on May 26.

Check out Halle Bailey’s “Part Of Your World” from The Little Mermaid soundtrack above as well as the trailer and posters of the other characters. Below, find some additional fan reactions.

Arguably the best football player in the 2023 NFL Draft has no shot at going No. 1 overall, and it would be a bit of a surprise if he goes in the top-10. Bijan Robinson, a running back out of the University of Texas, spent three productive years in college and showcased the sort of all-around skillset that NFL teams covet out of the backfield. At 5’11 and 215 pounds with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, Robinson is one of the best blends of speed, power, agility, and versatility to come into the NFL in some time.

A unanimous All-American and the Doak Walker award winner for the best running back in college football during the 2022 campaign, Robinson toted the rock 539 times for 3,410 yards and 33 touchdowns across three years in Austin. He caught 60 balls for 805 yards and eight scores in college, too. Upon hearing his name called at some point on Thursday night, Robinson will immediately become one of the most dangerous all-around running backs in the NFL.

Prior to the start of the draft, Uproxx Sports caught up with Robinson through his partnership with USAA to discuss the best advice he’s gotten, his skill set, how people value running backs, and much more.

What do you have going on with USAA?

I’m partnering with USAA. It’s definitely an amazing time — I was here in Kansas City last week and went to the Whiteman Air Force Base here in Kansas City. And we did a lot of different things, toured the B-2 and the A-10, it’s pretty amazing, pretty special, how, first of all, how big they are. And then to see what they use those for, just to help this country to save so many lives in this country, it was definitely amazing. And then on top of that, just getting to meet so many, men and women in the military, definitely amazing to hear their stories.

And for myself, where the personal connection comes in, my stepdad, he was in the military as well. So just even comparing those stories, and to see just how hard they work, it’s just like football for me. They prepare, they work out, they have to keep themselves in shape in order to do things the right way. And then I think one of the coolest things that I did, I went into the helicopter, and we went up to ride around the city of Kansas City and look at the draft site. And it was pretty amazing, man. It was a great time there. I just had so much fun being a part of it. I want to thank all the men and women in the military, and just all the hard work that they do and what they sacrifice in order to keep this country safe.

You were in Kansas City, where the draft is going to be taking place. We’re two days away from the draft and this entire process being over, and you knowing what your future is going to hold. How does it feel to know that the draft is only two days away now?

It’s definitely really exciting. I’m super pumped to see where I go, where I end up, definitely a blessing to even be here with so many great guys. I know that God’s gonna place me on the right team and the right situation. I’m just super excited to see where I end up.

What’s the best piece of advice that you’ve gotten from anyone — it could be a family member, someone in football, whatever — in the lead-up to the draft about whatever you’re going to experience on Thursday?

The best advice I got was definitely from my grandpa, I call him dad. He said just enjoy every single moment that you get, because I only get this moment one time, and I got to enjoy every single moment, be positive, smile, just understand that not a lot of people are blessed to be in this position. So, have to just make what it’s worth and understand that this is nothing but a blessing that I’ve been presented with, and I’m just enjoying every single moment that I get during this time.

So I’ve watched your tape, I watched you for years at Texas. And I guess my big question is, is there anything in football that you’re not good at? Because you seem to be good at everything.

[laughs] Man, shoot, I got lots of things to work on! I can always improve on every aspect of my game, whether it’s pass catching, running the football, blocking, I think I always have room for improvement and always want to get better, man. As much as I do work on those things, obviously God gave me a gift to play the position that I play, but even I got to work on that. But I appreciate the compliment, I try to work on everything in my game every single day to try to get better, whether it’s with my vision or watching film or mimicking certain guys that I watch on film. So, there’s always room for improvement for me.

When you’re sitting down meeting with NFL teams and talking about yourself, what’s the biggest thing that you want to highlight as you make the case for, hey, I’m a good guy to bring into your organization?

I’ll just say me being versatile — lining up at receiver, at slot, running back, and being just as effective in those positions as I am at the running back position. It’s definitely very rare to find somebody that can do all three, or do things like catch the ball out the backfield and become a mismatch with corners and safeties. But I think when you do get a guy that can do those types of skill sets and abilities, that’s where your value in the position goes extremely high. That’s what I would say to NFL teams.

So you talk about the value that you bring to the position. Have you ever seen the discourse where people say maybe don’t pick a running back so high for one reason or another? And what do you think about the belief that like the running back position is devalued, or whatever people say?

I understand it, there’s a lot of one-dimensional running backs. I think that the value of the position should become high because you got guys like Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Saquon [Barkley] that can do so many things for their offense. And I think that without those guys, maybe their offense isn’t what it is. So, if you have that type of ability, and that type of skill-set to do so many different things for your team, then that’s what makes position value what it should be. But you know, a lot of people have opinions and a lot of people say different things, but at the end of the day, it’s who’s gonna draft you, it’s what they think of you the most. We’ll just see and find out on Thursday.

Yeah, I feel like people like to say that, and then they see, like, Christian go to the Niners, and they go, wait, no, that’s unfair.

Exactly. And for me, I feel like it’s more of just a situation that you’re put in, if you’re in the right situation, then that’s when your value grows even more. But obviously, you can’t control where you go, so you got to make the best of any situation that you get put in.

Over the course of your football playing career, who have been the running backs that you’ve liked watching the most, and what is it about these guys that you see and you’re like, man, they do something that I maybe want to try and work on to add to my game?

I love to watch LaDainian Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Barry Sanders, those kind of guys, they’re kind of older school running backs. But I just love to watch and see how they played the game, because they can catch the ball out the backfield and they know how to get themselves out of situations that are uncommon. Not just running through these big holes and finding open gaps, but they know how to make moves in the backfield and still get 10 yards, 20 yards, or even a home run.

Even just seeing that and understanding how I want to play my game and do different things in my game that they’ve done, it’s pretty special to watch them. I’ve watched them throughout the years, got their game tape, still study them on every single play. So, those are some guys who I love to make my game after and see what they can do on the field, too.

Yeah, I think I saw the other day that Barry tweeted good luck to you. Is that the first time you’d ever had any kind of back-and-forth with him?

Yessir, yes it was. And that was a pretty special moment, as well.

My last question, I know that while you were in college, you had an NIL deal for your own mustard, so I need to know what does Bijan Robinson put on a hot dog?

Oh, you got to put on the Bijan Mustardson. You got to put it on a hot dog. I think it’s grown to be the best condiment that’s out there. I definitely got to get you some to try, but it’s definitely a good condiment to have. It’s really tasty, really good. It’s been really fun just to be a part of that and see how it’s been growing these past seven, eight months. It’s been amazing.

I’m a big mustard guy.

There we go!

So I see every NIL deal come across and that was the first one where I was like, “Oh, hell yeah, I need to one day get my hands on a bottle of that.”

Yessir, absolutely.

Less than a year after releasing his buzzy sophomore album, Come Home, The Kids Miss You, Jack Harlow is gearing up for his third studio album. Today (April 26), Harlow has announced his third major-label album, Jackman.

Jackman is set to arrive this Friday, and given the fact that the notice comes two days ahead of its actual release, no prior singles have been released or announced yet.

While we don’t know much to expect from Jackman, it’s not unlikely that the tracklist will boast some potential viral hits. Harlow certainly has the track record to prove it, as songs like “What’s Poppin’” and “First Class” garnered much attention by way of TikTok. In an interview with British GQ last year, Harlow lauded the platform, and credited to it much of the success of his music.

“Almost all big songs blow up on TikTok,” said Harlow. “Now, some songs are literally rooted in some dance challenge that blew it up. But some songs go big, and as soon as they go big they’re gonna be big there, because it’s what kids are listening to. That’s where kids are; sorry.”

You can see the cover art for Jackman below.

Jackman is out 4/28 via Atlantic.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated from the 2023 NBA playoffs by the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, sending a team that came into the year with ultra-high expectations into a long offseason that will be filled with plenty of soul searching. It’s a particularly big summer for the Clippers, as both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have the potential to hit free agency in 2024 if they decline the player option in their respective contracts.

Leonard and George, of course, missed most of the series against the Suns. George was out the whole time due to a knee sprain, while Leonard played in the first two games. After originally being diagnosed with a knee sprain of his own, it was reported on Wednesday morning that Leonard tore the meniscus in his right knee in Game 1 of the series. All of this prompted a doozy of a take from Stephen A. Smith, who expressed his belief on First Take that Leonard should be forced to retire by the Clippers.

“Steve Ballmer and the Los Angeles Clippers should force Kawhi Leonard to retire,” Smith said. “I’m done, he needs to go home, ok? It’s over. I’m not in any way questioning the legitimacy of Kawhi Leonard’s injury. A matter of fact, I’m fully embracing it. I’ve heard very, very alarming stories about his health, you see people talking about he’s walking around limping all the time, he is not a healthy individual. I’m not questioning his heart, I’m not questioning his courage, I’m not questioning any of that, the man’s a two-time champion, he’s a two-time MVP.”

Smith went on to repeat his claim that Leonard is the worst kind of superstar to have one a team, arguing that his lack of availability and his hesitancy to promote the team is bad before going through the financials of his deal. He then made a big deal out of how he doesn’t suffer his injuries in a high-profile way. (He did not say during his rant if he knew that Leonard’s injury was revealed to be a torn meniscus, which they discussed a little later in the show.)

“This is the difference between him and a Paul George or various other people,” Smith said. “We see them get hurt. We watch Kawhi drop 38 one game like he did in Game 1 against Phoenix, 31 in Game 2, walk off the court, and next thing you know, Ty Lue gets a note, he ain’t available today, and he ain’t available next week, and he ain’t available the next game. You don’t know why, but you hear, and you hear, and you hear stories.”

Smith expressed his belief that, if George and Leonard were healthy, the Clippers would have beaten the Suns in the first round, citing how much Devin Booker and Kevin Durant play too much. But apparently, due to Leonard’s lack of availability, Smith thinks the team’s decision makers need to have some difficult conversations.

“You’re the second-largest market in the United States of America,” Smith said. “You’re in Los Angeles, man. It’s Laker Nation, Laker town, you know what Steve Ballmer and them got to compete against. You got an elite owner, Lawrence Frank is a well-respected executive, Ty Lue is considered one of the best coaches in the business. And this is what you got to rely on as a player. It’s over, for me. We can talk about the game and all of that stuff, but the culminating point, the end result is, to me, it should be the end. And I say that cause I called some league officials this morning and I wanted to know specifically, what can you do to get rid of Kawhi Leonard and make sure he gets his money. He’s got an insurance policy, you can carve it out through the years, make sure he gets every penny, just give him his money and go, because you can’t rely on him, you gotta move on. If you’re the Clippers, you gotta move on.”

It is unclear why Smith thinks this is a better path forward for the Clippers, especially considering Leonard can hit free agency next summer and is almost certainly a better option, even in a limited role, than anyone else the team can realistically get this offseason. It is also unclear if a front office forcing a player to retire would be legal.

Michael Keaton’s Batman is front and center in the latest trailer for The Flash as his aged version of the Dark Knight mentors Ezra Miller’s speedster and shows that he has still plenty of moves left in the ol’ Batsuit. However, the big question is whether or not Keaton is playing a multiverse variant or the actual Batman from his time in the Tim Burton films. Here’s what we know so far.

From what we can tell, Keaton is still playing his original version of Batman. Here’s what he told Variety back in 2022:

Since Keaton hasn’t watched other superhero films — there have been seven actors who have played the Caped Crusader since — he admits it was a little confusing to dive back into that world. Bruce Wayne has changed a bit since Keaton last played him, we remind the actor.

After a brief pause, he responds with a smirk, “Not mine.”

On top of Keaton saying that his Batman character in The Flash is the one he left 30 years ago, director Andy Muschietti recently told CinemaCon attendees that the production team went to great pains to recreate the Batcave from the Burton films. That attention to detail is evident in the new trailer where there are several visual nods to Batman and Batman Returns.

“When [Keaton] arrived to the set, the Batcave was already finished and it was lit and everything. He stayed like this [eyes wide] for a while,” Muschietti said via IGN. “I didn’t want to interrupt him. I just wanted for him to take it in. Who knows what was going on there? But something was going on there. It was funny because at one point during the scene where we shot him in the full suit, he was like, ‘Can you take a picture? It’s for my grandson.’ It was one of those moments where he really showed something was inside that was very emotional.”

The Flash was also shown at CinemaCon where the film racked up rave reviews, and based on what the critics are saying, Keaton’s Batman makes several references to the Burton films.

“After 30 years, Michael Keaton returns as Batman and his appearance in #TheFlashMovie is a true highlight,” Geeks of Color‘s Dorian Parks tweeted. “He delivers insanely awesome scenes, with great nods to his previous time in the role. He is one of the true standouts of the film.”

While the evidence seems to point towards Keaton still being the Batman that audiences fell in love with back in 1989, scenes are reportedly still being added to The Flash, which could add some sort of multiversal/time-travel twist to Keaton’s role. That said, the marketing is leaning heavy into the Batman ’89 nostalgia, so we’d be surprised if Warner Bros. messed with the compelling hook of bringing back Keaton’s original Batman.

The Flash zooms into theaters on June 16.

(Via Variety)