Batman Actor Michael Keaton WON'T Join Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Cast?

This week, Marvel Cinematic Universe superstar Robert Downey Jr. officially joined the upcoming Sony/Disney stand-alone Spider-Man: Homecoming -- but it seems we'll be one superhero short for the film. While Tony Stark/Iron Man will be helping out Tom Holland's Peter Parker, previously rumored cast member Michael Keaton, best known for his turn as Bruce Wayne/Batman, is out of the negotiations.

After reports surfaced saying Tim Burton's Bruce Wayne was in talks to join the cast of Sony and Disney's newly rebooted Spidey, Deadline reports that Keaton's negotiations to play the villain have fallen through. He won't be part of the highly anticpated film.

Keaton was in very early talks anyways. The film won't begin shooting for a while yet, so the search continues. Still, it would have been pretty incredible to get the actor to be part of this superhero universe, as he has heavy ties with this kind of film. Not only did he play the Caped Crusader, he also played an aging former superhero actor in Birdman, a role that earned him an Academy Award nomination.

According to Collider, current rumors claim the Spidey villain in question could in fact be Vulture. But nothing's confirmed as of yet and Marvel is usually quite close-lipped regarding their upcoming movies.

In past live-action adaptations of Spider-Man, villains used have included the Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom, Sandman, Lizard and Electro. We'll have to see what direction the new reboot takes, but it seems unlikely that Iron Man will be the only other superhero involved in the movie, as Spidey's now officially part of the Avengers.

Holland will be introduced to the MCU in just a few days, when Captain America: Civil War is released. As shown in the film's second trailer, he'll be taking Iron Man's side. It seems they develop a type of mentor-protégé relationship, which most likely explains why Iron Man will be involved in the Spidey movie.

Captain America: Civil War will premiere next May 5, while Spider-Man: Homecoming will hit theaters on July 7, 2017.