Ben Affleck’s Batman Reportedly Cut From ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’

Even though it may seem that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has been sitting on a hard disc somewhere, frequent reports make it clear that the highly anticipated sequel is actually going through major overhauls. When the time finally comes to check it on the big screen, the new adventure of the DC subaquatic superhero will probably look nothing like its first version. A new report from THR suggests that one of the most recent changes was completely nixing any Ben Affleck‘s Batman participation in the movie.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that, according to sources, changes have been happening in Aquaman 2 – which has just finished its whopping third round of reshoots – because the movie needs to reflect the ever-changing status of the DC Universe. In Batman’s case, both Affleck and Michael Keaton took part and filmed scenes at some point. Initially, former DC Films head Walter Hamada wanted Keaton’s Batman to be a Nick Fury-type presence that transited between movies while being a sort of mentor to other superheroes. The concept took a hit when Batgirl got shelved by Warner Bros. Discovery.

Now, after The Flash failed to make an impression at the global box office even with multiple Batmen in tow, it seems that the order of business is to make Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom completely Batman-free. Sources explain that the reason behind this decision is that new DC heads James Gunn and Peter Safran want to steer away from presenting a shared universe before it completely takes shape – which was one of the biggest errors that the DC Extended Universe made in the past. The sources also reported that there is an increased tendency to make Aquaman 2 more standalone, as it needs to cut ties with the DCEU.

RELATED: James Gunn’s DCU Reset Was ‘Aquaman 2’s Biggest Challenge, Says James Wan

What’s Up With Aquaman 2 After All?

The bigger reason behind all these changes to Aquaman 2 is a simple one: money. The first solo outing of the superhero still stands tall as the highest-grossing DC movie ever, with over $1 billion raked in at the global box office. The number suggests that the character is a lot more popular than Warner Bros. initially thought, and they want the sequel to be able to repeat the success. Should Aquaman 2 come to cinemas and have a mediocre performance as The Flash did, the studio will probably see it as shooting themselves on the foot, because Aquaman has proven to be a major box office draw and delivering a less-than-perfect sequel might bury the IP.

There are also several test screenings in play – which is pretty common for blockbusters – to gauge audience response to the movie. Despite all this chaos, it seems that at the end of the day Warner Bros. is confident that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom could be a hit, otherwise the studio would just shelve it (or release it with no major changes to see what happens) and not bother to spend millions of dollars on reshoots.

Currently, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is slated for a December 20 release after multiple delays. For now, there is no official word on whether the recent changes will affect the movie’s release date once again. Check our interview with Jason Momoa below: