As of this writing, there have been numerous rumours that Ben Affleck will be returning to the Batman universe, one way or the other. While he may not personally be donning the cape and cowl again, word on the internet is that Ben Affleck will be taking on a more behind-the-scenes role, specifically, casting.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which one critic called “a wet fart”, is the latest installment in the in the DC Universe, and unfortunately for Jason Momoa and his other gilled friends, that review is far from the only negative one. But upon release, the DC Universe assumed full control from the DC Extended Universe, and is now working to, hopefully, reboot the ailing conglomerate with 2025’s Superman: Legacy, yet another reboot of the Superman franchise now that Henry Cavill has abandoned the red cape.
So where does this leave Batman?
The sequel to Matt Reeves’s 2022, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson is already in the works, but lucky for Pattinson, this film does not fall under the umbrella of the DCEU. This means that DCEU has all the rights to simultaneously reboot its own Batman franchise, one under the supervision of Ben Affleck. Fantastic news, because lord knows we need several actors playing the exact same superhero in several different movies all coming out at the same time. If anything, why don’t we get Michael Keaton to reprise his role as Batman from over 30 years ago. Oh wait! That already happened in 2023’s The Flash, and boy did it pay off (Allow us to momentarily digress as we mention that on a AED 740 million budget, which doesn’t include marketing costs, The Flash grossed a mere AED 797 million. Now while this may not sound like a complete disaster at first glance, contemporary blockbusters are expected to earn at least three times their budget in order just to break even. In the film’s defense, one must also address that its box office obliteration can probably be attributed to Ezra Miller’s highly questionable public trifles, but still. How was it that bad?).
Now although casting for Superman, Lois Lane, and even Lex Luthor have been revealed, Batman has yet to be found, the DC Extended Universe edition titled Batman: The Brave and The Bold, putting a focus on the entire bat-family rather than just the tortured orphan, Bruce Wayne, and his incorruptible affinity for black clothes.
But if DC has learned one thing from it’s past failures it’s that instead of changing things up when things get sour, let’s double down and continue with the exact same formula. Point being that upon the disastrous release of 2023’s The Flash, director Andy Muschietti is now in talks to direct this new Batman installment. Sigh.
Please, Hollywood. Make it make sense.
