Over the last few months, Warner Bros. and the DCEU have been keeping the public on their toes thanks to wild switch-ups behind the scenes. This trend continued yesterday, when it was revealed that Henry Cavill actually wouldn’t be back as Superman, despite his cameo in Black Adam. Cavill is seemingly out for good, but could Ben Affleck still be involved in James Gunn’s DC Universe? Here’s the latest update regarding the acclaimed multihyphenate.
Ben Affleck’s association with the DCEU has been a confusing one. After appearing in Batman v Superman and Justice League, he appeared to have departed the role. But he’s actually set to appear in both Aquaman 2 and The Flash. He also did reshoots for the Snyder Cut. Although now that there’s new leadership in the studio, there are questions about his continued role. It turns out that James Gunn has been in contact with Affleck about possibly directing an upcoming DC movie. As he shared on Twitter:
Met with Ben yesterday precisely because he wants to direct & we want him to direct; we just have to find the right project. https://t.co/Haz1APdlVNDecember 15, 2022
Well, that’s exciting. While the DCEU’s original Superman is seemingly flying into the sunset for good after that Black Adam credits scene, it looks like Ben Affleck might continue being involved in this new version of the shared universe. It’s unclear if he’s sticking around as Batman, but it seems like that both he and Gunn want the Oscar-winning filmmaker to get behind the camera. We’ll just have to see which project this ultimately works out for.
James Gunn’s tweet came as the internet was exploding over Henry Cavill’s official departure from the role of Superman. While plenty of fans shared their disappointment on social media, Gunn answered a few follow-ups from his followers. That’s when it was revealed that he’s been in contact with Ben Affleck, who wants to direct his own DC flick. Hopefully this happens sooner rather than later.
The news of Ben Affleck possibly helming an upcoming DC movie is sure to turn a few heads, especially considering how many peaks and valleys have already accompsanied his tenure with the studio so far. He was originally going to direct and star in his own Batman movie, which was eventually scrapped. This made the way for Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which is set outside of the main DCEU. While Affleck surprised the public by returning to the cape and cowl as Bruce Wayne, it seems he’s also still interested in directing his own DC flick.
As previously mentioned, there have been a ton of shake-ups at DC– even before James Gunn and Peter Safran were named the new co-CEOs. For instance, the Batgirl movie was infamously scrapped, despite it being nearly completed. Blue Beetle will now be getting a full theatrical release, rather than going straight to HBO Max. And it’s clear that Gunn and Safran have a very specific vision for the shared universe that they’re trying to see come to fruition.
The next installment in the DCEU is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which is currently expected to arrive on March 17th. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year.
