Ben Affleck Returning To DCU For More Movies
Ben Affleck is currently in discussions to return to the DC Universe, but as a director rather than an actor. According to a report in Deadline, the once and maybe future Batman actor is in negotiations with new DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran to take a new role in the world of DC Comics adaptations, rather than come back as Bruce Wayne. This comes at a time of immense change for the studio, but it also raises the possibility of new directions for the DCU.
While Ben Affleck is generally thought of first and foremost as an actor, he is also an accomplished director. Beginning with the neo-noir Gone Baby Gone in 2007, Affleck has carved out a second career as a filmmaker, going on to win a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for directing 2013’s Argo (which also won the Academy Award for Best Picture). While Ben Affleck will always be the slightly lunk-ish actor of Good Will Hunting and Daredevil for many, there is no denying that he is technically a prestige-level director.
There is no indication of what movie (or movies) Ben Affleck might be in consideration to direct right now, especially given the current chaos that seems to surround DC Studios. Both James Gunn and Henry Cavill have separately announced that Cavill will not continue to portray Superman in the new vision of the DC Universe, despite the actor returning for a much-ballyhooed cameo in Black Adam that seemed to set up a confrontation between the two.
According to Gunn, Superman will be rebooted with a younger actor for a story involving Clark Kent’s early days as an investigative journalist at the Daily Planet. It is entirely possible that Ben Affleck might be tapped to direct that one, given his experience thus far in gritty, street-level crime films.
Since 2016, Ben Affleck has portrayed Bruce Wayne in the DC Universe, beginning with Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, following in the footsteps of Christian Bale, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, and Michael Keaton before him. While the initial announcement of Ben Affleck being cast as the Caped Crusader was met with skepticism by fans (in an echo of the controversy over then-comedic actor Michael Keaton being cast for the 1989 Batman), he turned out to have a decent take on the character as a world-weary, heavy-drinking vigilante in the mold of The Dark Knight Returns.
However, a lot has changed in the DC Universe since then. Robert Pattinson is now playing Batman in what seems to be an entirely separate continuity from the characters as initially established by Zack Snyder, to critical acclaim and strong box office. While it was previously announced that Ben Affleck would return as Batman in both the much-delayed The Flash with Ezra Miller and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with Jason Momoa, pretty much nothing is certain with the DCU these days. After all, we were supposed to get Michael Keaton back in Batgirl and that isn’t happening. So we will just have to see if we get Affleck next as a director or a star.
