Confirmed: Batfleck Returns In ‘Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom’

Batfleck is back. Ben Affleck will don the cowl once again in Warner Bros. Discovery’s upcoming DC Comics 2023 movie slate in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash. News of the star’s return — confirmed on social media by Jason Momoa — sent fans into a frenzy this weekend, with speculation running wild about the implications.

While many outlets and fans are suggesting the latest word of Affleck appearing in yet another entry in the DCEU means the new leadership at WBD are “restoring” the previous incarnations and plans for their shared superhero universe, or that Affleck has had a change of heart and wants to come back permanently as Batman, the truth is almost certainly far simpler, if unlikely to stifle typical rumor-mongering in fandom.

Production delays and the ongoing Covid pandemic forced WBD to push back the original release dates for The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Previously, The Flash was supposed to hit theaters first, upending the status quo of the DCEU by — among other things — removing Affleck’s Batman from continuity and replacing him with none other than Michael Keaton’s 1989 Batman.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom would continue from there, with Keaton reprising the role in that film as well as in the upcoming Batgirl movie, which releases on HBO Max later this year. The plan is for Keaton’s version of the Dark Knight to take on a role similar to a combination of Nick Fury and Iron Man in Marvel’s own superhero universe — mostly a mentor and master strategist who can supply tech and funding for the larger super-team, but who also occasionally dons some bat-themed battle armor to join the fisticuffs.

However, the unexpected rescheduling means Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will now arrive at multiplexes ahead of The Flash instead of after. As a result, the planned appearance of Keaton’s Capes Crusader in the Aquaman sequel has been rewritten to feature Ben Affleck under the cowl.

So it’s a matter of necessity, and Affleck was willing to step up and step in to help out. And as an added bonus, of course, the film will enjoy a larger measure of fan support by winning a sizable segment of corner of fandom who have long demanded a return to director Zack Snyder’s DC adaptions and plans. Those fans will not only be eager to see Batfleck on screen again, they will also take this as a sign that — despite all other evidence to the contrary — there’s still hope for some sort of final “victory” in pursuit of more Snyderverse.

It’s frankly hard to say with 100% certainty what the future has in store for the studio’s DC properties, since new corporate leadership is still in the process of deciding what to do with the superhero franchises, and is openly seeking an overseer to figure it all out.

While I think it’s rather obvious that whatever else happens in the coming years, there is a general momentum behind a new direction and inevitable replacement of core DC performers and characters (and plenty of inside information pointing to central demands and necessities from this point forward, under the new leadership’s larger vision), I also recognize that much of what’s transpired — the release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Affleck’s decision to reverse course and return in The Flash, and now the appearance of Batfleck in yet another picture — has defied all studio and mainstream press expectations and claims regarding the status of any continuation of the DCEU established by Snyder.

What this means is, I believe Ben Affleck is done playing Batman after these two appearances and will refrain from returning again, while Michael Keaton finally becomes the established new Batman for whatever remains of the DC shared universe going forward. I also believe WBD and Snyder have moved too far from one another for any reconciliation to be possible, at least any time soon or in relation to the DCEU. In fact, I don’t believe Snyder himself wants to return, or to see other people retrofitting his original plans, any more than Warner wants those things to happen.

But things change. Things on Earth. Things like Affleck’s mind regarding suiting up, and things like production plans during worldwide plagues. And things like content production for streaming services that had expected a larger investment toward HBO Max content, but now face a reversal that puts focus on theatrical production — necessitating exclusive streaming content to attract more subscribers.

Perhaps, then, the idea of an animated adaptation of Ben Affleck’s elusive solo Batman screenplay is not so crazy after all (albeit an option a loud majority of fans seemed to angrily reject every time I suggested it, so the studio surely heard the shrill objections and took that idea off the table). Not that I think the odds of this happening are at all significant — I definitely do not anymore. I just can’t say the odds are absolutely zero.

That and a release of the so-called “Ayers Cut” of Suicide Squad, plus maybe an anime Part II and Part III of Snyder’s Justice League storyline, would be relatively inexpensive to produce but would certainly add healthy entries to the DCEU multiverse stable (after all, the Snyderverse is out there as part of the multiverse), while making it clear the entirety of what fans said they wanted has arrived (and could all be achieved within the next couple of years, a significantly quick turnaround). If Snyder were inclined to remain personally uninvolved, he likely wouldn’t mind someone like David Ayers taking the reins to bring it across the finish line.

Which is not to give any credence to expectations or hardcore fan hopes of a live-action film based on Affleck’s Batman script, or of an Affleck live-action TV series. I mention these million-to-one shots more for fun spitballing and as a reminder to fans of what they possibly, with luck, could’ve had if they hadn’t so furiously rejected it. I was a pretty vocal fan of Snyder’s films and among the few entertainment writers in late-2019 to publicly insist — in response to Variety’s claim that no Snyder Cut existed or would ever possibly be released — that the Snyder Cut not only existed but was likely to be released relatively soon. And I banged the drum for the idea of continuing the Snyderverse on HBO Max via animation and other options.

But I absolutely love Matt Reeves’ The Batman and the planned spinoffs, I have faith that it’s the best way to proceed with Batman’s franchise, and I don’t want that upended or risked in any way. So that’s my own two bits of personal bias, for the record — a love of Snyder’s films, a support of his vision, a wish that it had had a way to continue in some form, and a love of the current Batman franchise that I want to see grow indefinitely.

So I think I have a balanced and informed perspective when I say Warner is not going to have three different and contradicting live-action Batman movie franchises in theaters all at the same time. Meanwhile, Ben Affleck has repeatedly made it clear he’s not interested in any longterm commitment to portray Batman again, telling The Herald Sun that his appearance in The Flash “put a really nice finish on my experience with that character.”

Likewise, DC Comics Publisher and CCO Jim Lee spoke at San Diego Comic Con earlier this month and said, “[T]here’s no plans for additional work on… [Snyder Cut] material.”

And as noted, the original plan for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was for a different Bat-hero to make an appearance, with Affleck joining the project later when the flipped release order required a recasting. I’m fairly certain the Bat-hero in question was going to be Michael Keaton, but there is a chance the King of Atlantis was supposed to encounter Leslie Grace’s Batgirl in the first iteration of the story, since it was set post-The Flash. Without knowing the precise details of Batgirl’s story yet, it’s impossible to say for sure. But all clues point to Keaton’s Batman as the intended.

Let’s also not forget the tensions and gap between the studio and filmmaker appear likely to have increased after the recent Rolling Stone article, as did fractures within some corners of the fan community.

We’ll see where it all eventually winds up, as more of Warner Bros. Discovery’s plans come into focus and (presumably) the studio gets someone into that oversight role who recognizes the things that need to be done and how best to accomplish them.

(Perhaps they’ll consider another win-win option to both bring aboard more fans, tamp down anger and criticism, and cash in on a final opportunity left to them in the aftermath of the storm, by shooting a quick scene of Black Adam killing Henry Cavill’s Superman for a reveal in The Flash, followed by a Black Adam sequel in which Dwayne Johnson’s anti-hero/villain protagonist battles Superman (maybe the death could come when Superman sacrifices himself to save Black Adam from an external threat, but Black Adam takes the blame/credit for killing Superman. But I digress…)

We can talk and speculate all day, though, but the bottom line is this: Ben Affleck has returned as Batman for a nice but unexpected final additional appearance, required for basic continuity purposes because of production delays, and nobody should interpret this as a signal of anything more than that.

Yes, it’s always technically true that “anything can happen,” and yes some developments might give some fans false hope, but there is a truth and logic behind what’s transpired and an inevitability to the widening gap between what a segment of fans want and what everyone else (including the studio and Snyder himself, who has plenty of other projects on his plate right now and who seems happy where he’s at with his own production company and Netflix) wants.

For any of this truth and logic to change, everyone — from the fandom behind the hashtags to the studio leadership to the public audiences to the filmmakers — would have to change their minds and reverse their actions.

Which, in turn, would require a major outside force influencing and altering each of them separately in precisely the exact ways needed for a perfect convergence resulting in… well, probably at best the aforementioned handful of animation projects and a re-edited streaming release of Suicide Squad. The hypothetical cash-in idea of Black Adam fighting Superman as a bookend that serves everyone’s selfish interests is a pipe dream example of any further extension of “Snyderverse” content that is even remotely worth mentioning as an outlier “what if” in the realm of possibilities.

Remember, this is what a total, perfect convergence of everyone changing their minds would look like at this point. And I simply don’t believe the investment of time, attention, emotional energy, resources, and risks will ever appear worthwhile to any of the players who must all reach the same decisions for it to ever be possible. Those investments would all go to other projects instead, ones deemed more desirable and likely to produce better outcomes for everyone involved.

That’s what it really comes down to: math and spreadsheets, because this is not only an artistic venture, it is first and foremost honestly a business venture. Franchises on this scale will always be perceived and handled with prioritization of the revenue streams involved, that’s the obvious reality and always has been. Which is why nobody should be surprised by this.

At one point, I do believe some of the people at HBO Max recognized a potential to tap the Snyderverse for faster, less expensive development opportunities as a way to not only generate exclusive content for HBO Max but also as a clever way to win over a majority of the previously disgruntled fanbase and help unite DC fans again in a way that would not only benefit the Snyderverse content but also the new DCEU franchises.

Whatever else the unexpected re-appearances of Batfleck might suggest to some fans and media, though, perhaps the biggest clue is the fact the key leadership behind making Zack Snyder’s Justice League happen and raising the potential for additional spinoffs to sit in that part of the multiverse. The departures of Brad Wilson, Jennifer Biry, Christy Haubegger, Andy Forssell, Tony Gonclaves, Richard Tom, and most notably Jason Kilar all point to the fact the new leadership at WBD will pursue a new course that doesn’t square with the previous map for the future. If any sort of continuation of the Snyderverse was allowed in the conversation, it’s highly unlikely figures like Kilar would be out the door.

So enjoy the unexpected extra serving of Batfleck, dear readers, but don’t expect it to lead to anything more. The road might have required a few detours, but the eventual destination for the DCEU remains generally the same at this point — not specific, but definitely not a return to the starting point. And Zack Snyder is at work on multiple projects in various stages of production, including Rebel Moon, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, and Twilight of the Gods, so he wouldn’t even seem to have much time or inclination to get involved again, anyway.

At this point, it looks like fans need to prepare themselves to enjoy what they are getting of extra ingredients from their favorite iterations of these characters, but avoid getting their hopes up that there is either momentum or interest in much more than that among anyone involved anymore.

I’ll be back with more coverage of the DCEU, including reviews and updates on casting and development, so stay tuned and check back soon.