It’s funny how things change. Ben Affleck being cast as the DCEU’s Batman was met with a wave of negativity against the idea of Batfleck, but now fans are clamoring for him to return to the role and can’t wait to see his restored material in 2021’s Justice League Snyder Cut.
Affleck has long supported the release of the Snyder Cut, which will almost certainly be the last we get to see of him in the cape and cowl, and he marked the official announcement of it recently by simply tweeting “2021” with the official promo picture for the project.
Now, however, he’s released a short video message to fans via Kevin Smith’s Instagram account, and you can check it out down below:
Looking healthy and upbeat, he says:
“I just want to say, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it on there live, but I’m very excited that Zack’s getting a chance to finally see his vision realized. I think it’s a great thing, I’m really excited for the fans to get to see it. And I want to say thank you to the fans, because it was their enthusiasm and their passion that made this happen. Without the fan support, I don’t think it would’ve happened. But I love Zack, I love his version of the movie, and I look forward to everyone getting a chance to see it.”
When he mentions not being able to make it on there live, he’s referring to the Man of Steel watch party, in which Henry Cavill delighted fans by making a surprise appearance to answer questions about the movie. Cavill’s appearance was somewhat overshadowed by the announcement at the end of the stream that the Snyder Cut was going to happen, but it would have been nice to see Affleck turn up too to offer his perspective.
There’ve been some rumors that Affleck might be returning to the cape and cowl for Justice League reshoots, though I think this is extremely unlikely. For one, I don’t think it’s reasonable to ask him to get back into shape for a very brief scene. Not to mention they reportedly have all the footage of him they need. However, Affleck will no doubt be happy that the Snyder Cut will showcase his Batman’s full character arc as originally planned.
And hey, who knows, if the Snyder Cut is a really big hit, then perhaps he’ll be dragged back into the costume and we can simultaneously have Pattinson’s younger Batman and Affleck’s older one.