Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was one that was heavily praised, despite the film being met with negative reviews from the critics. Many, including myself, thought it was the most comic accurate Batman that we’ve seen on screen, and then in 2017’s Justice League, it was changed to give the character a lighter tone – which was met with negative feedback from the fans who appreciated the first version of the character. The drama behind the scenes of JL, negativity associated with BVS – added on with the inability to get his solo movie for the character off the ground – eventually led to Affleck exiting the role entirely – leaving many fans disappointed. If you were one of those disappointed fans, however – we have some good news for you today, as it looks like the actor is coming back!
According to outlets like Deadline, THR and Vanity Fair, sources have confirmed that Ben Affleck will indeed be returning as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming movie for The Flash – which will also see Michael Keaton return. As Deadline reports, sources have confirmed that Ben Affleck is returning as Batman in the upcoming Flash movie which Warner Bros. is putting into production. It is to be a cameo role. And, yes, Affleck will be playing the Dark Knight alongside Michael Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton film, in what is billed by Flash director Andy Muscietti as a “substantial” part.
It’s definitely an interesting and unexpected development, but as we reported a couple months back, Zack Snyder and ATT (owners of Warner Bros.) actually teased Affleck’s return – many just didn’t think Affleck would want to come back. We’re guessing a few million dollar signs had something to do with that – along with the fact that director Andy Muschietti thought the return was important:
“He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before,” Muschietti tells Vanity Fair who broke the news. “It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.”
Who knows what the future holds? Who knows who will answer the call? 🦇 pic.twitter.com/F7ZEw7agjn
— AT&T (@ATT) May 22, 2020
It appears that WB is looking to correct what was messed up by studio meddling on their films – and they’re doing just that by giving the fans what they want with the Snyder Cut, as well as bringing Affleck back as Batman. Here’s hoping we get to see the universe that was intended to be created and that fans are actually satisfied with the finished product this time.
As far as The Flash is concerned, the movie is set to star Ezra Miller as the title character, and is expected to be released on June 3rd, 2020. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on any more updates for this movie and other DC Films as we get them.