The future of Ben Affleck's role as Batman (and the DCEU as a whole) was thrown into flux after the disappointing reception of Justice League and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now, Affleck has confirmed that his upcoming appearance in The Flash alongside Michael Keaton will be his last time playing the iconic caped crusader.
Affleck is no stranger to comic book films, having starred as the first onscreen iteration of Daredevil in 2003. Beyond that, Affleck starred in many notable films including The Town, Argo, and Gone Girl before landing the role of the DCEU's Bruce Wayne. As Batman, Affleck has starred alongside many notable portrayals of DC characters including Henry Cavill's Superman, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, Ezra Miller's The Flash, Jason Momoa's Aquaman, and Ray Fisher's Cyborg. Aside from reappearing in Zack Snyder's Justice League, Affleck has not appeared in any DC films between Justice League's release and the present day.
While speaking to the Herald Sun, Affleck officially confirmed that he will not be appearing as Batman in any more films after the upcoming The Flash. The actor called his work on Zack Snyder's Justice League and The Flash "a really nice finish on [his] experience with [the] character." So while Affleck had a better experience while filming The Flash than he did during other DCEU films, it sounds like his time as Bruce Wayne will be coming to a close.
Despite the disappointing reception of Batman v Superman and Justice League, Affleck has maintained a steady output of film appearances since the release of those films. Affleck starred in the 2019 Netflix action-thriller Triple Frontier while also giving an awards-worthy turn in The Way Back. He also gave strong supporting turns in The Tender Bar (for which he received a Golden Globe nomination) as well as in Ridley Scott's The Last Duel.
Warner Bros. will soon be releasing The Batman, which recasts Bruce Wayne with Twilight actor Robert Pattinson. However, Matt Reeves has stated that his new incarnartion of Batman will exist in his own universe, seperate from Affleck's Caped Crusader and the rest of the DCEU.
It may be disappointing for many fans that Affleck's time starring in DC films will end much sooner than that of his Justice League co-stars. But one thing's for sure—there's still one more chance for fans to see him as Batman.
The Flash comes to theaters on November 4th, 2022.
Source: Herald Sun