Ben Affleck Confirmed To Return As BATMAN In AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

Ben Affleck Confirmed To Return As BATMAN In AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOM

In a shocking turn of events, Ben Affleck will reprise his role of Batman for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, coming to theaters March 17, 2023.

By DanielKlissmman - Jul 28, 2022 07:07 PM EST

Despite stepping down from the role following Justice League in 2017, Ben Affleck reprised his take on Batman for Zack Snyder's Justice League and 2023's The Flash. The latter appeared to be a swan song for Affleck's Caped Crusader, given that it will also feature Michael Keaton's Bruce Wayne. Keaton will return as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming Batgirl, starring Leslie Grace, while Affleck seemed to have no other DC projects in line. 

In a surprising twist, however, The Flash won't be the only upcoming DC adventure in which Affleck's version of the Dark Knight will make his presence felt. As it turns out, he is also expected to return for Aquaman and the Lost Kindgom. The film's star, Jason Momoa, took to Instagram to drop the surprise, sharing a picture of himself alongside Affleck in costume as Bruce Wayne, coupled with a video of the actor's involvement in the film being uncovered by WB Studio Tour visitors: 

Momoa wrote in the caption: "REUNITED bruce and arthur. love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j."

The picture shows Affleck sporting his signature Bruce Wayne look. It appears that the reveal was motivated by WB Studio Tour visitors spotting Affleck and Momoa together during filming, as the latter stated in the video, "Well, we tried to keep it a secret."

No more details were provided about his part, though Affleck's appearance in Aquaman 2 doesn't necessarily mean he will continue playing Bruce Wayne for the foreseeable future. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is scheduled for release in March 2023, and The Flash (which seems to be Affleck's last time playing the character) will be released three months later, in June 2023. 

It's worth noting that Momoa appeared to indicate that he was filming with Affleck recently, which is curious, because James Wan announced in January of 2022 that filming on Aquaman 2 had wrapped.

If these pictures are indeed recent, Ben Affleck's Batman is likely a late addition. While speculating on what exactly that means for his part is difficult given how little is known about the plot of the Aquaman sequel, it could be he is being saved either for a tag (similar to his appearance in the post-credits scene of Suicide Squad) or a cameo. 

When Affleck's involvement as Bruce Wayne in The Flash was officially revealed by Vanity Fair, the film's director, Andy Muschietti, teased an important role for the actor: 

"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. 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. He's the baseline. He's part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure. There's a familiarity there."

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will be released on March 17, 2023. 

James Gunn Weighs In On JUSTICE LEAGUE Movie Rumors And Reveals Comic That's A Big Influence On DCU
Related:

James Gunn Weighs In On JUSTICE LEAGUE Movie Rumors And Reveals Comic That's A "Big Influence" On DCU

AQUAMAN & THE LOST KINGDOM Concept Art Spotlights Alternate Mera Costume Designs
Recommended For You:

AQUAMAN & THE LOST KINGDOM Concept Art Spotlights Alternate Mera Costume Designs

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4 5 6
Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 7/28/2022, 7:52 PM
Best Batman
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 7/28/2022, 7:57 PM
@Gizmoduck - Brace yourself on ppl telling you, your opinion is wrong
zeon00
zeon00 - 7/28/2022, 8:26 PM
@Gizmoduck - for kids
Humperdoo
Humperdoo - 7/28/2022, 8:50 PM
@Gizmoduck - His fight scenes in Batman vs Superman gave me chills. Choreography was on point. Think he was the first movie Batman to be hiding up on the wall in the shadow? Loved that scene.
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 7/28/2022, 9:39 PM
@JoJo1982 - The problem with Affleck's Batman was never Affleck

AmazingFILMporg
AmazingFILMporg - 7/28/2022, 9:40 PM
@Gizmoduck -

*Worst Batman
TheLobster
TheLobster - 7/28/2022, 9:41 PM
@Gizmoduck - absolutely correct. BATFLECK FOREVER BB!
Origame
Origame - 7/28/2022, 9:41 PM
@zeon00 - yes, the batman who regularly killed people like he was playing gta is for kids.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 7/28/2022, 9:42 PM
@zeon00 - lol wut
TheLobster
TheLobster - 7/28/2022, 9:44 PM
@AmazingFILMporg - nah man he’s the best. Especially if you’re concerned with a comic book accurate Batman.
TheLobster
TheLobster - 7/28/2022, 9:45 PM
@Origame - yeah it’s not like every other Batman has killed people. That never happens in any other Batman film!



Origame
Origame - 7/28/2022, 9:51 PM
@TheLobster - I'm not saying it doesn't happen. My comment is in response to someone claiming Affleck batman is the best for kids. Its weird to choose the one that's most well known for killing than versions like bale or Clooney that actively avoid killing.
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 7/28/2022, 9:51 PM
@Origame - yea because we never seen Keaton, Bale, and in some way Pattinson, SAID NOBODY EVER
TheSuperMex
TheSuperMex - 7/28/2022, 10:11 PM
@Gizmoduck - best Punisher*
Origame
Origame - 7/28/2022, 10:22 PM
@JoJo1982 - well I'm not saying any of those are for kids either. But their body counts pale in comparison to afflecks.
DarkDetective
DarkDetective - 7/28/2022, 10:52 PM
@Gizmoduck - along with Pattinson, yes
KWilly
KWilly - 7/28/2022, 7:54 PM
Wow, I'm legit shocked. Thought he was done with superhero stuff. And I get a feeling he was, until Momoa gave him a late night drunk call and managed to reel him back in one more time lol.

Still have no interest in this tho.
Jordanstine
Jordanstine - 7/28/2022, 11:22 PM
@KWilly -

WB knows it’s going to lose audience because of Amber Heard’s involvement.

Their solution? Put a Batman in the movie to try and counter it. Seeing how cozy they are on that pic... Maybe he replaces Heard as Aquaman’s new interest.
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 7/28/2022, 7:55 PM
Remember those ppl who thought Ben Affleck was done as Batman?

Yep lol
kazuma
kazuma - 7/28/2022, 8:43 PM
@JoJo1982 - Well the actor did say he was done.
JoJo1982
JoJo1982 - 7/28/2022, 8:56 PM
@kazuma - he’s said it several times and keeps coming back.

Everyone should at this stage where he don’t believe him, anymore
TheHumanSpider2
TheHumanSpider2 - 7/28/2022, 9:07 PM
@JoJo1982 - Because Affleck himself said so?
LSHF
LSHF - 7/28/2022, 9:20 PM
@JoJo1982 - "Or", he changed his mind because he liked what they were doing. Hell, I change my mind a lot when the situation changes. This isn't rare for people to do.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 7/29/2022, 10:38 AM
@LSHF - or he came back because he hasn’t been in anything since then and bills still have to be paid. Lol
LSHF
LSHF - 7/29/2022, 10:53 AM
@WruceBayne - Lol.

Well, to be anal about it, he has been in three films since, but he "did" take about three years off after Justice League to deal with his drinking problems, and that no doubt caused him financial challenges.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 7/29/2022, 11:23 AM
@LSHF -
Drinkiing problem
LSHF
LSHF - 7/29/2022, 11:30 AM
@WruceBayne - Lol. I bet Ben "wishes" his drinking problem had only been on that level!

By the way, I "love" that Airplane joke! It never got old.
WruceBayne
WruceBayne - 7/29/2022, 11:47 AM
@LSHF - still holds up to this day. Lol
BestAtWhatIDo
BestAtWhatIDo - 7/29/2022, 5:59 PM
@JoJo1982 - I think removing Whedon from future projects, releasing the SnyderCut, and getting sober changed his calculus a bit. But the three Batmans were getting now is sure an… interesting choice.
TheShape9859
TheShape9859 - 7/28/2022, 7:55 PM
Are we sure he wasn't just visiting the set?
1 2 3 4 5 6
View Recorder