Ben Affleck Batman TV Show Rumors Debunked

Rumors of Ben Affleck returning to his DC Extended Universe role as Bruce Wayne for either a future Batman movie or TV show are debunked. The actor was first cast as the Caped Crusader in 2013 and debuted in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck went on to have a cameo in David Ayer's Suicide Squad before again starring in 2017's Justice League. Affleck was also meant to write, direct and star in a solo Batman movie. However, after the poor reviews of both Batman V Superman and Justice League and the effects of those movies on his personal life, Affleck exited the Batman movie, first as writer-director, then as the star. The Batman has moved forward with Matt Reeves directing and Robert Pattinson playing Bruce Wayne.

In recent months, though, HBO Max announced they'd be releasing the Justice League Snyder Cut, a version of the 2017 movie that depicts the director's original vision. It will be the movie he intended to release, before he exited the project, leaving Joss Whedon to take the helm and assemble the theatrical cut using reshoot footage. To complete this cut, the Justice League stars will need to provide additional content, though it's reported to only be dialogue, not full scenes. Still, the prospect of all the Justice League actors returning - including Affleck, the only one to have stepped away from the DCEU - is an interesting prospect and has lead to speculation of what it might mean for future projects. However, it doesn't look like Affleck is returning in any real capacity.

According to Forbes' Mark Hughes, rumors of an Affleck Batman streaming TV show are untrue. The actor has not voiced a desire to return as Batman and there have been no official discussions with Warner Bros. to develop a movie or TV show for Affleck to star in. The report goes on to say that Batman remains a movie property and will not be at the center of a TV show - streaming or otherwise. Hughes' report comes after weeks of rumors circulating online about a Batman HBO Max TV show starring Affleck, though these rumors should've always been taken with a grain of salt.

While Affleck returning for a Batman TV show may have seemed more likely after the announcement of the Snyder Cut coming to HBO Max, there's been no indication the actor has any real desire to reprise the role. Based on all the conflicting reports about his involvement in The Batman after Reeves was hired, it seemed Affleck had lost interest in being Bruce Wayne long before he officially ceded the role to Pattinson. It's possible that could've changed, especially if he were given the chance to explore the Batman Snyder introduced in Batman V Superman, since that was the vision of the character that initially brought Affleck into the DC fold. But at this time there's been no indication Warner Bros. will be expanding on Snyder's DCEU beyond releasing the Justice League Snyder Cut on HBO Max next year.

Further, Warner Bros' aversion to using Batman on the small screen is well-known. Bruce Wayne's name was kept out of the Arrowverse for years, Gotham only included a young version of Bruce before he became the vigilante superhero, and though both Titans and Batwoman have included versions of Batman, he hasn't been the main character. Even the upcoming HBO Max Gotham PD TV show isn't confirmed to include Pattinson's Batman, and considering the show's title, it wouldn't be focused on the Dark Knight even if he did appear. All this reaffirms that Warner Bros. doesn't plan to create a Batman TV show, keeping the property on the big screen. So while the idea of getting to see more of Affleck's Batman may be enticing, it doesn't seem any such Batman project, whether on TV or film, is in the works.

Next: All 9 Canceled Batman Movies (& Why They Didn't Happen)

Source: Forbes