Earlier this year, Aquaman star Jason Momoa posted a shot of him alongside Ben Affleck teasing the latter’s inclusion in the upcoming DC release Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. Fans of Affleck’s Batman believed that this meant Affleck was back as the Bat, booting Michael Keaton’s version of the character and signaling a return to the Snyderverse continuity. According to one insider, a recent test screening of the film might not be the best Christmas present for those hoping to see Affleck return to the role.
Following a test screening of Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, KC Walsh shared the news that Affleck was nowhere to be seen in the cut shown to a test audience.
In fact, according to Walsh, neither Affleck nor Keaton’s version of Batman showed up in the cut.
So what happened between Momoa’s tease and the test screening? Perhaps Affleck was just visiting? Maybe he did shoot scenes and throughout the chaotic front office upheaval at DC, which has found James Gunn in charge of storytelling, the decision was made to pull any Batman-related scenes from the film. At the moment, wild speculation is the only recourse for fans as they ponder what this means for the future of Batman outside of the Matt Reeves-led Gothamverse as many online rumors have led them to believe that Affleck was going to return to the role long-term. Again, a lot has changed since this Summer and until Gunn and DC co-chair Peter Safran present their long-term vision for DC Studios, fans are going to be left in the dark.
