Two-time Oscar winning actor, writer, and director Ben Affleck (Argo, Good Will Hunting) will put on the cape and cowl to portray Batman once more in the upcoming Warner Bros. film, The Flash, starring Ezra Miller as the Scarlet Speedster. The director of the film, Andy Muschietti (Mama, It) revealed the news in an interview with Vanity Fair.
According to Muschietti, Affleck got the script a week ago and agreed to join the project this week.
Ben Affleck first slipped into the role of the Caped Crusader in the 2016 film Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. He reprised the role in the 2017 superhero extravaganza, Justice League, which was critically panned. Affleck was planning to both star and direct a stand-alone Batman film but walked away from the project. That film – The Batman – is being directed by Matt Reeves with Robert Pattinson taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman.
In the VF interview, Muschietti said he expects Affleck as Batman will deliver an unexpected emotional impact. “It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in,” explained Muschietti.
Muschietti also confirmed Michael Keaton is returning to the role he played in the 1989 Batman film. Apparently Keaton will have a “substantial part” in The Flash stand-alone film.
The Flash feature film will draw most of its plot from the DC graphic novel, Flashpoint. In it, Barry uses his speed to go back in time to save the life of his mother and returns to an alternate, dark and fractured timeline. The film is scheduled to hit the big screen on June 3, 2022.
