Last summer, a report that Ben Affleck was spotted on the set of Marvel Studios' Deadpool and Wolverine did the rounds online.
Since it had already been confirmed that the R-rated threequel would include a bit of Multiversal madness and a few cameos (we now know it'll be more than a few), this understandably led to speculation that Affleck might be set to make an appearance as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, and the news that Jennifer Garner's Elektra will be involved only added fuel to the fire.
Affleck returning as the Man Without Fear always did seem unlikely, since the actor has never looked back particularly fondly on his time as the Hell's Kitchen vigilante That said, he's always had a sense of humor about it at the same time, so a fun cameo wouldn't have been too big a stretch.
Now, Daniel Richtman is reporting that Affleck definitely won't be showing up in Deadpool and Wolverine - but that doesn't mean we won't see him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point.
According to the insider, Affleck has had discussions about taking on a different role in the MCU. We have no idea if he's still in talks or which character(s) he was speaking to Kevin Feige and co. about potentially playing, but wouldn't be at all surprised if the role was about as far away from Daredevil as it gets.
What do you make of this rumor? Any particular Marvel heroes or villains you think Affleck would be a good fit for? Drop us a comment down below.
In addition to Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in the title roles, Deadpool and Wolverine will see Morena Baccarin (Vanessa), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Rob Delaney (Peter), Brianna Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) And Shioli Kutsuna (Yukio) return as their respective characters, and they'll be joined by franchise newcomers Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Matthew Macfadyen (Succession), who will play a TV agent and Charles Xavier's evil counterpart, Cassandra Nova.
A recent synopsis for the movie reads: "After facing some professional setbacks while going through a midlife crisis, Wade Wilson decides to officially retire Deadpool and becomes a used car salesman. But when his friends, family, and the whole world are at stake, Deadpool decides to bring his katanas out of retirement. He recruits an unwilling and wary Wolverine to not only fight for their survival, but ultimately, their legacy."
Shawn Levy directs Deadpool and Wolverine from a script by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, and Zeb Wells.
The movie is set to open in U.S. & Canadian theaters on July 26, and will be available in IMAX, RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, Cinemark XD and premium screens everywhere.