Following the headline-grabbing announcement that the Snyder Cut was finally becoming a reality, it appears as though Justice League could turn out to be the DCEU’s defining movie for a second time. The critical and commercial disappointment that greeted the theatrical release saw Warner Bros. draw a definitive line under Zack Snyder’s time as the franchise’s creative driving force, leading to a widespread shift in direction and the rebooting, recasting and even abandonment of much of the filmmaker’s involvement.
However, following a two and a half year campaign that eventually saw the Snyder Cut cross over from being one of the most famous unfinished movies ever made to becoming one of the most highly-anticipated superhero blockbusters in recent memory, Justice League could once again have a seismic impact on the future of the interconnected comic book series.
If the Snyder Cut turns out to be a success, which is looking like a mere formality at this point, there have already been rumors that it could lead to WB green-lighting the long-awaited Man of Steel sequel, or even giving Snyder the opportunity to complete the story arc he originally had in mind by giving the go-ahead to Justice League Part 2.
One of the most interesting reports though is that Warner Bros.’ owners AT&T were interested in having Ben Affleck return to the fold in order to make his version of The Batman, that would have seen the Caped Crusader square off with Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke. The Cultured Nerd recently shared the following about it:
“Sources close to TCN have informed us that AT&T and WarnerMedia wants Ben Affleck to return as Batman, and also to resume work to adapt his original script for “The Batman” that originally featured Batman Vs Deathstroke.”
Of course, the news quickly spread to social media and as you can see below, AT&T themselves have only continued to fuel the speculation about Affleck’s Dark Knight making a big screen comeback.
One thing @ATT, after the announcement of the #ZackSnydersJusticeLeague will it be possible to see Ben Affleck as Batman in other future films? pic.twitter.com/MHn9MIF9RP
— Del Fan, Para el Fan (@delfanparaelfan) May 22, 2020
Who knows what the future holds? Who knows who will answer the call? 🦇 pic.twitter.com/F7ZEw7agjn
— AT&T (@ATT) May 22, 2020
They were saying the same thing about the Snyder cut being on HBOMAX. look at us now! #ReleaseTheSnyderCut
— Vlad Tudor (@astral_dream) May 24, 2020
We're full of surprises. 💙 pic.twitter.com/sEbrNvWV9f
— AT&T (@ATT) May 24, 2020
A lot of fans seem to be in agreement that Ben Affleck had the potential to be an all-time great Batman, but he was let down by the quality of the projects that he starred in. Now that the Snyder Cut seems to have blown the doors wide open for what’s possible in the DCEU though, it can’t be completely ruled out that the critically-acclaimed and Academy Award-winning filmmaker could yet be tempted to don the cape and cowl once more.