Ben Affleck praises his time making DC’s The Flash movie as “fun” compared to his time making Justice League. Affleck knows first and foremost just how rocky the road of making DC movies can be; besides Superman star Henry Cavill, Affleck caught the worst of DC and Warner Bros. internal troubles in the mid-2010s, resulting in the now-infamous theatrical releases (and later director’s cut retcons) of his two Batman films, Batman v Superman and Justice League. It was a small miracle when fans learned that “Batfleck” was suiting up again for The Flash, so it’s going to be deeply validating to those same fans to hear that Affleck enjoyed the experience of his DC Universe comeback.
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“[The Flash] was a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience had been difficult,” Affleck explained to Variety. “This was really lovely. Really fun… I had a great time… I love Ezra and I had a chance to see Jason [Momoa], who’s over there making ‘Aquaman [and the Lost Kingdom],’”
Being a longtime veteran at making these big comic book movie franchises, Affleck then joked:
“I’m probably under some gag order that I’m not even aware that I probably just violated and I’m now going to be sued.”
While Henry Cavill was (as stated) another would-be DC movie superstar that got tripped up by the behind-the-scenes turmoil at Warner Bros., Affleck’s case was much different. Cavill was an up-and-coming talent when he landed the Superman role in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Affleck was a major lead actor and multiple Oscar-winning filmmaker when Snyder tapped him to play Batman; a role that led to major franchise opportunities for Affleck, both as the Batman character, and the filmmaker in charge of shepherding the next era of Batman films.
All that rich potential (entendre intended) for Ben Affleck’s role in the DC FIlms Universe slowly crumbled away. Batman v Superman floundered with mainstream fans, and Justice League hit its now-infamous directorial shakeup (Zack Snyder being let go and replaced with Joss Whedon). Somewhere in that mess Affleck slowly began to recede from his earlier goals: he pulled out of directing a Batman solo film, and eventually, he abandoned the starring role and seemingly any future opportunities to play the role.
However, it was Zack Snyder who turned the tide yet again, by bringing Affleck back for his hard-fought release of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Affleck’s return (and the new material he shot with Snyder for the film) rekindled the fires of fan desire for Affleck to keep playing Batman – and though it may well be his official swan song, The Flash will at least give Ben Affleck’s Batman an ending on his own terms, as he well deserves.
While details are obviously secretive, we know The Flash will see Batfleck still acting as a mentor to Ezra Miler’s Flash – before a distortion in the timeline brings in Michael Keaton’s Batman as an alt-universe replacement.
DC’s The Flash movie will be in theaters on November 4, 2022.
