Jason Momoa, the star of the movie Aquaman of 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 the Batman. Hence the exciting hypothesis that the sequel to King of the Seven Seas would resume the multiversal aspect that —by the time of its release— would have already inaugurated. Flash. However, unlike the scarlet speedster movie, where Keaton and Affleck do appear, presumably neither will appear in the final cut of Aquaman 2.
This week, sources from The Hollywood Reporter reported that the idea had already been scrapped around including any of the iterations of Gotham’s hooded 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 or Keaton’s Batman in the new DC Universe (DCU) which for now continues in early development.
Presumably, the top brass at DC Studios also prefer to suppress such cameos in the interest of not linking Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom “excessively to past failures” of the franchise, as it sadly ended up being Flash. Despite of buzz The initial film starring Ezra Miller, through which he was presented as one of the best in the superhero genre, ultimately became another box office disaster for Warner Bros. and DC, having grossed only $267 million globally, against its estimated budget of $200 million.
You might also be interested in: Aquaman 2: Report details the chaotic production and mixed reception of the sequel
On the other hand, it should be clarified 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, Flash He would have already taken it upon himself to explain Keaton’s return. However, when a change in the Warner Bros. release schedule placed James Wan’s film ahead of Andy Muschietti’s, the presence of that Batman in the King of the Seven Seas saga 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 to the release schedule put the premiere of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom for after the Flashwhich has since “cast doubt” on the inclusion of Affleck’s cameo.
According The Hollywood ReporterBack when Walter Hamada was still president of DC Films, the Burtonian Batman was intended to have a role in DC movies that would be “similar to Nick Fury” at Marvel. Hence, they also called on Michael Keaton to appear alongside Leslie Grace in the film Batgirl. Although as we well know, the Warner Bros. Discovery board finally chose to cancel the premiere of that original HBO Max tape.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom scheduled to hit theaters on December 20, 2023
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.