Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom star Jason Momoa has teased the future of Batman in the DC Universe, revealing that he shot with multiple Batman actors for the film. The sequel, which has been delayed several times but is currently set to premiere on Christmas Day, is the follow-up to 2018's Aquaman, the highest-grossing film in the DCU worldwide. The new film, which was helmed by returning director James Wan, will follow Aquaman (Momoa) as he is forced to form an alliance with an unlikely partner to help save Atlantis. The returning cast also includes Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Temuera Morrison, and Nicole Kidman.
The Wrap had the opportunity to speak with Momoa about Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom while the star was at Sundance promoting the new documentary Deep Rising. During their conversation, the star let it slip that "I shot with a couple different Batmans" over the course of the film's extended production schedule. However, considering the recent changes in the lineup of the DCU, he wouldn't reveal which performer or performers he is referring to, or which ones will end up in the finished product, saying "you just don’t know what’s going on and we’ll see what the end product is."
Every Possible DCU Batman Explained
The DCU was recently thrown into flux during the merger between its parent company Warner Bros. and Discovery. The most dramatic effect of this merger was the outright cancelation of the Batgirl movie while it was in post-production. That film would have featured Michael Keaton returning as the version of Batman he played in 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, tying in with an appearance in the also delayed The Flash and a rumored appearance in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Presumably, Keaton is one of the actors Momoa mentioned filming with, though it cannot be proven as of yet.
For quite a while, it was looking like the DCU would use the events of The Flash to reassert Keaton as the main Batman of the DCU, at least for a short period. However, Ben Affleck (who played the role in 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and 2017's Justice League) was potentially set to return alongside him, and an Instagram photo of the actor with Momoa spurred rumors that he would be appearing in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom as well. It seems that the DCU, now under the auspices of co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, is still deciding what the future of the franchise is going to look like and might change Aquaman to fit whatever direction they decide.
The one Batman performer that is least likely to be joining the DCU is actually the one who has been most successful in the past year: Robert Pattinson. Pattinson starred in the 2022 hit The Batman, which takes place in a universe separate from the DCU. It could always be folded in should Gunn and Safran decree it, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. Ultimately, it will likely take until the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for any of these questions to be answered definitively.
Source: The Wrap
