Jason Momoa, who plays Aquaman in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), revealed in an Instagram post on 28 June that Ben Affleck is returning as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, the sequel to Aquaman (2018).
Affleck started playing Bruce Wayne/Batman with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). Momoa’s revelation confirms his fourth appearance in the franchise as the superhero, not counting Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), which was a director’s cut of Justice League (2017).
Here are all the details about Ben Affleck as Batman in the Aquaman sequel
Momoa shares pictures with Affleck
Momoa shared two photos of him with Affleck with his fans on Instagram. Both stars are seen sharing light moments.
“REUNITED bruce and arthur. love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j,” wrote Momoa in the caption.
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Along with the pictures, Momoa also shared a video of fans on a bus tour of a Warner Bros. movie set who had apparently deduced that Affleck was filming his scenes for the film.
There is no information on how exactly Affleck’s Batman fits into the story of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick.
Affleck and his history as the Dark Knight
Affleck announced his retirement from the role in 2019. At the time, he was to direct and star in The Batman. But in an interview with The New York Times in 2020, he expressed his struggle with playing the superhero.
“I showed somebody the Batman script. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again’,” he said.
Not part of the DCEU canon, The Batman was eventually released in 2021 with Robert Pattinson playing the Caped Crusader and Matt Reeves as its director.
In 2020, it was announced that Affleck will turn into the Dark Knight once more for The Flash. Now complete, the film is set for release on 23 June 2023 and stars Michael Keaton as Batman from a different reality.
About Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
Momoa first appeared as Aquaman in a cameo in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He followed it up with an extended appearance in Justice League (2017) before headlining the character’s solo outing in Aquaman.
James Wan, who directed the first Aquaman film, is back in command of the sequel.
Returning cast members include Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, Randall Park, Willem Dafoe and Temuera Morrison.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is set for release on 17 March 2023. One of the major reasons why it is a highly anticipated movie is because to date, Aquaman remains the highest-grossing film in the DCEU franchise.
(Main and Featured images: Jason Momoa/@prideofgypsies/Instagram)
