Jason Momoa, the star of the film Aquaman 2018, I anticipated in August of last year that the second part might have more than one Batman. His comments had the background that, according to reports, both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck had filmed material for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, in their respective versions of Bat Man. Hence the exciting hypothesis circulated that the sequel to the King of the Seven Seas would resume the multiversal aspect that—by the time of its release—had already inaugurated The Flash. However, unlike the Scarlet Speedster movie, where Keaton and Affleck do appear, presumably neither one nor the other will appear in the final cut of Aquaman 2.
Last July, sources The Hollywood Reporter reported that the idea had already been discarded about including any of the iterations of Gotham City’s caped vigilante in the sequel to Aquaman. The reason for this would be that the current presidents of DC Studios, James Gunn and Peter Safran, cannot guarantee that there will be a future for Affleck’s Batman or Keaton’s in the new DC Universe (DCU) that for now continues in early development. .
Presumably, the bosses at DC Studios also prefer to suppress such cameos in the interest of not linking Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom “excessively on past failures” of the franchise, as unfortunately ended up being The Flash. Despite of buzz initial release of the film starring Ezra Miller, through which it was presented as one of the best of the superhero genre, finally became another disaster at the box office for Warner Bros. and DC, having grossed only $268.5 million dollars globally, compared to to its estimated budget of $200 million.
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On the other hand, it is worth clarifying that the potential participation of Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck in Aquaman 2 In reality it was not joint but interchangeable. The original intention was that only the first one would appear in the sequel, considering that by then, The Flash He would have already been in charge of explaining Keaton’s return.
According THR, when Walter Hamada was still president of DC Films, the Burtonian Batman was intended to have a role in the DC films that was “similar to Nick Fury” in Marvel. Hence, they also called on Michael Keaton to appear alongside Leslie Grace in the film batgirl. Although as we well know, the management of Warner Bros. Discovery finally chose to cancel the premiere of that original HBO Max film.
Additionally, when a modification in the Warner Bros. release calendar placed James Wan’s film ahead of Andy Muschietti’s, the presence of this Batman in the saga of the King of the Seven Seas became illogical.
Consequently, it was decided to replace it with that of Affleck, who in July 2022, filmed exactly the same scene that Keaton was originally going to have. However, a month later, another update in the release calendar placed the premiere of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for after The Flashwhich has since “called into question” the inclusion of Affleck’s cameo.
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Were Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck left out of Aquaman 2? This is what James Wan says.
In a recent interview with Entertainment Weeklydirector James Wan confirmed, without mentioning them by name, the reliability of that original report of THR.
“The complicated thing from the beginning was not knowing if [la secuela de] Aquaman would come out first or later [de The Flash]”, admitted the Australian director. “So we had to be ready. At the end of the day, the best I can say about [El Reino Perdido] It’s just that it’s not connected in any way to any of those movies. Thats the reality”.
Wan also did not refute the intervention that James Gunn had in this installment. However, he maintains that the final product is still largely his vision. “I’ve known James for a long time, right? We are makers of [cine de] horror, so I’m definitely open to ideas. But, at the end of the day, this is my movie,” he remarked.
Sois there still a chance to see Ben Affleck or Michael Keaton? His response still leaves a glimmer of hope for fans, even if it is minimal.
“That’s a ‘no comment’ at this point.”concluded the director. “You’ll have to wait for the movie to come out.”
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom It is expected to hit theaters on December 20, 2023
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to get lost too. Preferably, in a movie theater.