Ben Affleck Jokes About Returning For Dark Knight Returns in 20 Years

While Ben Affleck says that the door is probably closed on his returning to the DC film universe in the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, the actor offered fans desperate to see more of his take on the Dark Knight a little bit of a glimmer of hope — but one that won’t pay off for quite some time. During an interview with the faith-based lifestyle website Beliefnet, Affleck said that he is no longer interested in making big blockbusters and would rather do movies like his current project, The Way Back. Still, he joked, maybe in twenty years or so, he can come back to Batman.

Granted, it wasn’t his idea. The interview, a self-described life-long Batman fan, brought up the idea, but Affleck rolled with the bit instead of blowing it off.

When pressed on the possibility of doing The Dark Knight Returns — the story of an aging Batman coming out of retirement, which was a major influence on Batman v Superman — in 20 years or so, Affleck joked, “maybe a very old Batman would be interesting. With a walker.”

Of course, as absurd as that might sound on paper, this year’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event on The CW reshaped what seems possible within the context of comic book movies and TV. Brandon Routh returned to the role of Superman/Clark Kent after not having played the part since 2006’s Superman Returns. It also gave us our first-ever live-action look at an aging, infirm Bruce Wayne, played by veteran Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy.

Conroy’s performance was not quite The Dark Knight Returns — it was actually even more cynical than Miller’s work — but he did quote a line from it during a monologue about why he didn’t trust Superman.

Affleck has previously praised new The Batman lead Robert Pattinson, and expressed that he had just “lost his passion” for the role. He did, however, chime in to say that he believes Zack Snyder’s director’s cut of Justice League — the famed “Snyder Cut” — should be available to audiences.

“I had an opportunity to write and direct and star in a stand-alone Batman,” Affleck explained. “And it just happened at a point in my life where I just kind of lost interest in those stories. I’ll go see Robert’s, I think it’s gonna be great, he’s great, but this is the kind of story that I’m interested in telling now.”

Affleck is bouncing back with The Way Back, a new drama in theaters on March 6, which brings him back together with The Accountant director Gavin O’Connor.