As the DCEU’s The Flash movie prepares to go into production, Ben Affleck, according to sources, will be suiting up once more and returning as Batman.
Affleck who has donned the Batman cape and cowl in Superman vs. Batman, Justice League, and other cameos will return according to the entertainment news website Deadspin. Affleck is just the latest announcement since it was reported that Michael Keaton’s Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton film, would be appearing in the film directed by Andy Muscietti.
Vanity Fair, who initially broke the story, interviewed Muscietti, who commented,
“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.”
Muschietti, also stated that it was necessary to have Affleck’s Batman as a starting point:
“Another reason is mythology-wise why Affleck’s Batman is coming back to The Flash, and that’s that Miller’s Flash considers him to be the original Dark Knight, the guy he fought alongside in Justice League. He’s the baseline. He’s part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure… There’s a familiarity there.”
Affleck reportedly got the script for The Flash at the end of last week and agreed to board the project, despite stepping away from reprising the role in the Matt Reeves’ directed The Batman in January 2019.
The Flash is scheduled for release on June 3, 2022, starring Ezra Miller, who played Flash in Justice League, in the title role.