A couple of days ago, it was revealed that Ben Affleck will return as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The news came as a major surprise to fans, especially as the belief is that the actor only came back for The Flash to bid farewell to Bruce Wayne.
We know that movie is going to essentially create a new DC Extended Universe, with Michael Keaton replacing Affleck as the Caped Crusader. That's been confirmed by Batgirl set photos with the Batman star on set.
However, various release date changes have seen that HBO Max title pushed down the calendar, while The Flash and the Aquaman sequel swapped when they were pushed into 2023. Needless to say, we have to see the Scarlet Speedster's next adventure before Keaton starts making his presence felt or any cameos will make absolutely zero sense.
According to insider KC Walsh, "[It] looks like they are replacing the [Michael Keaton] scenes with Affleck, remember [Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom] was originally supposed to come out after The Flash and audiences were confused by his inclusion."
We'd heard that Keaton was going to show up in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, while rumours that Warner Bros. has plans for a Crisis on Infinite Earths movie have swirled for a while now. The DCEU needs rebooting, anyway, but how much the studio has altered plans in the wake of that Ezra Miller controversy remains to be seen.
It's surprising that Affleck has agreed to sub in for Keaton, though we can't help but wonder if the actor has had his faith restored in the role after the outpouring of love he received for Zack Snyder's Justice League. Either wait, it's beginning to look like he might stick around as the Dark Knight for the foreseeable.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set to surface in theaters on March 17, 2023.