Oscar-nominated actor Michael Keaton says the ongoing Covid pandemic was the reason he stayed away from the script of the upcoming superhero film, "The Flash".

"I'm not being cute or coy, but I don't really know. I have to look at the last draft. To be honest with you, you know what worries me more than anything about all this stuff? It's Covid!" he said in an interview to aceshowbiz.com

"I'm more concerned. I keep my eye more on the Covid situation in the UK. than anything. That will determine everything. I'm staying away from everybody, because the COVID thing has got me really concerned. So, that's my first thing about all projects. I look at it and go, 'Is this thing going to kill me, literally?' And you know, if it doesn't, then we talk," he added.

The 69-year-old actor is set to reprise his titular superhero role from Tim Burton's 1989 film "Batman" in "The Flash", but it is unclear whether Keaton is ready to be the caped crusader once again.

"I got so much going on now. I'm really into work right now. To tell you the truth, somewhere on my iPad is an iteration of the whole Flash thing that I haven't had time yet (to check)," he said.

"I called them and said, 'I have to be honest with you, I can't look at anything right now. I'm so deep into this thing I'm doing. Also, I'm prepping a thing I'm producing and getting ready to do down the road in the fall that I'll be in, and I feel responsible for that'," he added.