Ben Affleck Returning As Batman For The Flash

Ben Affleck is donning the cowl again, as he’s set to reprise his role as Batman in The Flash. Director Andy Muschietti confirmed to Vanity Fair that Affleck will reprise the role he played in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League for the Barry Allen-focused film. The Flash will star Ezra Miller and will reportedly feature Barry Allen moving through different dimensions, where he’ll encounter different versions of the DC heroes.

“His Batman has a dichotomy that is very strong, which is his masculinity—because of the way he looks, and the imposing figure that he has, and his jawline —but he’s also very vulnerable,” Muschietti said of Affleck. “He knows how to deliver from the inside out, that vulnerability. He just needs a story that allows him to bring that contrast, that balance.”

Muschietti said that Affleck got the script last week and agreed to appear, noting, “He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before. It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in. I’m glad to be collaborating with someone who has been on both sides of the camera, too. He understands.”

Affleck joins Michael Keaton as iterations of Batman appearing in the Flash film. This also seemingly continues the connections that The Flash has encountered previously; after all, he popped up in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event on The CW and met that universe’s Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), albeit briefly.

The Flash is set, as of now, to release in summer of 2020.