Ben Affleck says the best scenes featuring his interpretation of Bruce Wayne/Batman were filmed for the upcoming DC Extended Universe film, The Flash. Following what has become known as “Josstice League,” and the announcement that Matt Reeves would be helming The Batman as a reboot starring Robert Pattinson, fans naturally assumed “Batfleck” was a thing of the past. However, last year brought the acclaimed Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which not only revitalized interest in Affleck’s Caped Crusader, but inadvertently geared audiences up for the long-awaited The Flash movie.
After appearing as the Scarlet Speedster in 2017’s Justice League and the Snyder Cut, Ezra Miller will reprise his role in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. The film will follow Barry Allen after the events of Justice League and flesh out the idea of Speed Force/time manipulation teased in Snyder’s Justice League. The Flash will crack open the DCEU’s multiverse, feature multiple versions of the Flash as well as both Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmen. It will also star Kiersey Clemon as Iris West, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, Maribel Verdu as Nora Allen, Ian Loh as a young Barry Allen, and Sasha Calle as the Kryptonian cousin of Superman, Supergirl. Principal photography recently wrapped, and the film is set to release in theaters on November 4, 2022.
In a recent interview with The Herald Sun, Affleck spoke about his Batman scenes in The Flash. Specifically, the actor said that the material he shot for the film might be his best work as Batman in the DCEU. Affleck says he hopes the final cut "maintan[s] the integrity" of the Flash scenes he loved. Read his full quote below:
"I have never said this — this is hot off the presses — but maybe my favorite scenes in terms of Batman and the interpretation of Batman that I have done, were in the Flash movie ... I hope they maintain the integrity of what we did because I thought it was great and really interesting — different, but not in a way that is incongruent with the character. Who knows? Maybe they will decide that it doesn't work, but when I went and did it, it was really fun and really, really satisfying and encouraging and I thought, 'Wow — I think I have finally figured it out.'"
Affleck went on to call additional photography for Snyder’s Justice League and filming The Flash movie “a really nice finish on my experience with that character.” It would appear Affleck’s time as the caped crusader is nearing its end. Like Henry Cavill’s Clark Kent/Superman, Affleck’s Batman is at the heart of the Snyder-Verse, and The Flash is might officially shelve that timeline. On top of introducing Supergirl, The Flash is rumored to use archive footage of Cavill to help close the door on his character. With HBO Max’s Batgirl movie on the horizon, rumors suggest that Calle’s Supergirl and Leslie Grace’s Batgirl will be replacing Cavill and Affleck, respectively, as members of a new Justice League in the DCEU.
In The Flash, Barry’s time-travel antics will presumably create a brand new main DCEU timeline, benching Affleck and starting Keaton, who will likely serve as a mentor to Grace's Batgirl. Hopefully, the film accomplishes all of this gracefully. Droves of fans wish Warner Bros/DC Films would #RestoreTheSnyderVerse, and the decision to abandon it is still scrutinized. If The Flash is the project to put the nail in its coffin, it will inevitably receive backlash as well. Its marketing campaign should pick up in the coming months, with an official trailer dropping sooner rather than later. Alongside The Batman, The Flash is easily the most-anticipated DC project of 2022, due in part to Affleck's now very hyped return.
Source: The Herald Sun
