Michael Keaton's Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne in Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a choice that was initially very controversial among fans. However, Affleck won the naysayers over with a strong performance as a grizzled and worldweary Dark Knight and was considered one of the film's highlights. Fans were excited to see Affleck reprise the role in more installments, which at one point included plans for Affleck to direct and star in a standalone Batman movie.
Unfortunately, Affleck's Batman tenure fell apart after the critical and commercial disappointment of Justice League's theatrical cut. He stepped down from the franchise, paving the way for Warner Bros. to take the character in an entirely different direction. The studio has major things in store for the Caped Crusader; not only is there a new solo Batman movie coming out in 2021, Michael Keaton is coming back to play Batman in The Flash, opening up the multiverse in the DCEU.
As excited fans are about Keaton's return, Affleck's Batman had more than his fair share of fans and there was hope he could still have a place in the franchise as it carves out its future. Especially with Henry Cavill reportedly in talks to play Superman again (if only for a cameo), it would have been nice to see Affleck come back as well. However, the news about Keaton's Flash casting makes that even more unlikely.
Ben Affleck's Batman Doesn't Have A DC Movie Future
As stated above, Affleck hung up the cape and cowl and moved on. Now, he seems to be more interested in making smaller, character-driven stories like The Way Back (for which he earned positive reviews earlier this year) as opposed to the big-scale spectacle of comic book adaptations. It's easy to understand why he feels this way; the tumultuous Justice League production coincided with an extremely rough patch in Affleck's personal life. Stepping away from the hectic nature of a massive blockbuster franchise was the best decision Affleck could have made for his own health. That, coupled with his loss of enthusiasm in the property, meant it was time for someone else to take over Gotham City.
Matt Reeves is directing The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight. It goes without saying the idea behind greenlighting a reboot with Pattinson (who is 14 years Affleck's junior) is for him to lead a full series over the next handful of years. If all goes well, Pattinson's Batman will headline a trilogy at least, leaving no room for a future project with Affleck. Audiences have shown they're smart enough to accept multiple onscreen adaptations of the same character, but as far as the studio is concerned, it's better to pursue the one option that's more viable; again, Affleck lost interest in Batman, while Pattinson is excited to take on the role. From a business perspective, the choice to focus on Pattinson's iteration is logical. Still, Affleck will get one last hurrah as Batman.
Justice League's Snyder Cut Offered Hope for Affleck's Batman
The same year The Batman is scheduled to come out, Affleck's Batman will be seen on HBO Max in Zack Snyder's Justice League. Reportedly, the Snyder Cut won't have reshoots featuring the main cast, but the actors could return to do some post-production work like recording additional dialogue. This means Affleck could be called upon to play Batman one final time, which gave some people hope that he may reconsider his earlier decision to step away. That always seemed like a pipe dream, but if the Snyder Cut is a massive hit for HBO Max, WB might have been convinced to explore something new with Affleck's iteration of Batman. After all, they aren't ready to pull the plug on Cavill's Superman yet and may want to see what fan reaction to his future cameo is.
Affleck coming back in a more permanent capacity would have been possible because The Batman looks to take place in its own separate universe. Reeves was not beholden to the original DCEU cast. Andy Serkis is playing Alfred and Jeffrey Wright is the new Commissioner Gordon; Jeremy Irons and J.K. Simmons portrayed those roles, respectively, in the previous DCEU movies. Since Snyder and Reeves' Batman projects are not in the same continuity, WB theoretically could have kept both intact going forward and let them follow their individual paths. Again, the odds of this happening were always low (especially considering Affleck's comments), but it was on the table in a general sense. But now, with Keaton back in tow, the door is pretty much closed.
Michael Keaton's Batman Makes Future Affleck Movies Even Less Likely
It's worth mentioning Keaton's Batman return doesn't definitively shut down a potential Affleck comeback. DC is embracing the concept of a multiverse, and with all of the opportunities presented by adapting a story like Flashpoint, anything is possible. That said, it's telling WB went back to the Batman actor from 30 years ago as opposed to trying to rope in Affleck's more recent iteration. It further separates the studio from Affleck's turn and is an indication they too are ready to forge a new path for the character on the big screen. While Pattinson's is off doing his own thing, Keaton has taken over as the older, more experienced Batman.
Keaton's return is not conceived as a special one-off appearance. There's talk he could become may have a role in the Batgirl movie. Of course, none of this is officially confirmed, but it's a sign WB has big plans in mind for Keaton (it's possible multiple movies were part of the deal to get him onboard for The Flash). If Keaton's Batman is sticking around for the next handful of years, there's even less of a place for Affleck's version outside of the Snyder Cut. That's unfortunate for those who were hoping to see Affleck's Batman evolve over the course of several films (and see his vision of a crime-ridden Gotham), but WB seems to have made the most out of the situation. Few could have predicted Keaton's beloved take returning, so there's still plenty of excitement to see what happens with Batman in the movies.
