Recently, the internet was set ablaze thanks to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s Jason Momoa. In a new video on social media, the actor revealed that Ben Affleck was in the midst of reshoots for the film and was set to return as Batman. But what could he be shooting?
Last audiences heard, Affleck was done with the role. Instead, it seemed the DCEU’s Bruce Wayne was set to be Michael Keaton for the foreseeable future.
However, this was before The Flash was delayed. Whispers originally indicated how Keaton was going to cameo up in Momoa’s next adventure—but now that wouldn’t make much sense, as audiences would have no idea why he’s there if Ezra Miller’s solo outing hadn’t been released yet.
Now it seems like the change in release dates is exactly why Affleck has returned.
The Michael Keaton Batman Replacement
According to insider KC Walsh, the recent news of Ben Affleck joining Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the result of the studio “replacing the Michael Keaton scenes” that were once in the movie “with Affleck.”
He also noted how “[test] audiences were confused” by the inclusion of Keaton’s Batman:
“Looks like they are replacing the Keaton scenes with Affleck, remember #AquamanAndTheLostKingdom was originally supposed to come out after The Flash and [test] audiences were confused by his inclusion.”
In another tweet, insider MyTimeToShineHello noted that it was indeed true that Ben Affleck was replacing Michael Keaton due to continuity issues arising out of the delay of The Flash.
Ben Affleck Fills in for Batman
It makes perfect sense if The Flash’s delay is the reason. Most audiences would be confused by a Michael Keaton cameo, seeing as those reality-altering events in Ezra Miller’s film would not have been released yet.
For those hoping that this means Ben Affleck will have a substantial role to play, it might be best to temper those expectations. He is almost certainly there just to fill in any small scenes where Keaton appeared or was mentioned. It feels highly unlikely that the actor will factor into the plot in any significant way.
Now the big question is: what will Warner Bros. do with Batgirl? Michael Keaton’s Batman plays a notable role in that outing, so will the project face a massive delay because of that? Seeing as The Flash doesn’t hit theaters until June 23, 2023, could the Leslie Grace film potentially be delayed until the end of next year instead of this coming December?
As for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the Jason Momoa-led project will be released on March 17, 2023.
