So far Ben Affleck has played Batman twice: first he debuted as DC's legendary Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and then he cameoed months later in Suicide Squad. Now we're only a few weeks away from seeing Affleck reprise Batman for Justice League, but many folks have been wondering what the actor's future with the DC Extended Universe looks like after the superhero team-up movie. The Batman is one of the many projects in development for the franchise, but publicly, Affleck is still being evasive about what his Batman plans are. When asked if he would aim to be a "five timer" Batman, Affleck responded:
I don't know about that. We'll see what the future holds.
When Justice League comes out, Ben Affleck's tenure as Batman will tie Christian Bale's, though it took significantly less time for Affleck to hit that milestone. After Justice League, however, is when things get a little murky. At San Diego Comic-Con this past summer, Affleck declared to the audience at the Warner Bros panel that he is the "luckiest guy in the world" because he's able to play Batman, and said he's excited to work with Matt Reeves, The Batman's director. Ben Affleck's representatives also said he could continue playing Batman for as long as Warner Bros wants him following his brother, Casey Affleck, suggesting that Ben's time as Bruce Wayne is winding down.
However, that hasn't stopped speculation and rumors over him exiting the DCEU early, with one report claiming that although Affleck is still attached to The Batman, it's possible that may not happen. Even if Affleck were to star in The Batman, that would only get him up to four appearances. Obviously there are numerous ways Affleck could play Batman a fifth time if he wanted to, be it in a follow-up to The Batman or in an ensemble like Justice League 2 or Flashpoint. But for now, he's keeping mum, as evidenced by his interview with ExtraTV.
2017 has been a whirlwind for The Batman's development. For more than a year, Ben Affleck was planning on directing the Dark Knight's first DCEU solo movie, but in January, he announced that he would be stepping down from those duties. War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves was brought in as his replacement, and Reeves subsequently started working on the story from scratch. Other than Jeremy Irons and J.K. Simmons likely (but not confirmed yet) reprising Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner James Gordon, respectively, no specific details about The Batman have been unveiled yet. Still, it's not impossible that someone else could don the cape and cowl in Affleck's place. That's nothing new, of course, as Batman was played by three actors during the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher era.
Justice League hits theaters on November 17. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on the movies as the days count down, and looking to the future, check out our DC movies guide to see what projects this franchise has coming up.
