Could Batgirl Being Dead Hint At A Bigger Batman Return for Ben Affleck?

Today it was reported that DC and Warner Bros. are shelving the Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace. Batgirl was originally supposed to be released as an HBO Max Original, with whispers eventually trickling in that DC/WB was also considering a theatrical release for the movie. Batgirl had finished production and fans were ready for it, making the announcement that it’s now dead that much more surprising and disappointing for DC fans. 

One major aspect of Batgirl that was touted all throughout the production was the presence of Michael Keaton returning as the version of Batman in this particular vision of Batgirl’s lore. Keaton’s Batman has actually been set for a multi-picture arc, which would’ve started in The Flash movie before continuing into Batgirl. However, 2022 has been a year of major upheaval for DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. (Discovery); The Flash and Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom were both delayed until 2023; and off-screen, DC/WB has been in the midst of controversies ranging from executive shakeups to franchise stars getting into very public scandals. 

It’s clear that Warner Bros. Discovery (under the new leadership of CEO David Zaslav) is making moves away from old ideas toward a new DC franchise model. Well, the only other update on DC movie productions we got recently is that Ben Affleck’s Batman is not only going to appear in The Flash, but also Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, as well. Is Batgirl being shelved just one more hint that Batfleck will have a bigger role in the DC Movie Universe’s future? 

Who Is THE Batman?

After news broke that both the Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton versions of Batman would appear in The Flash, DC fans felt like there was a clear shift happening: The Flash’s story of an altered DC timeline would somehow result in a rebooted universe, in which Keaton’s Batman would be THE Batman, while Batfleck (and his SnyderVerse history) would be officially retired. A lot of that theory hinged on the announcement that Keaton’s Batman would appear in Batgirl, after The Flash. When The Flash was delayed, fans immediately began to wonder if Batgirl’s release wouldn’t be affected, as well, if the arc about Keaton’s Batman was to play out in the right way. 

With Batgirl now dead, it seems more like Michael Keaton’s return as Batman will be more like a one-off cameo for the multiversal story arc of The Flash movie. But on the other hand, Ben Affleck being announced for Aquaman 2 suddenly seems like it could be a very purposeful move to get some star power back into a Batman role that can span multiple connected franchises. 

Is The SnyderVerse Returning? 

Let’s not go that far yet. DC/WB has every ability to keep picking and choosing elements of what Snyder did (Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman – Henry Cavill’s Superman?) while also steering the franchise in an entirely new stylistic direction.