Director Andy Muschietti has confirmed that Ben Affleck's Batman will form a significant part of the emotional core of the story in The Flash.
Director Andy Muschietti confirmed Ben Affleck's Batman would form a significant part of the emotional core of the story in The Flash. Muschietti (It: Chapter 1 and It: Chapter 2) was hired to helm the movie from a script by Christina Hodson. Early reports suggested the film will be an adaptation of DC comics Flashpoint storyline, which was confirmed when it was revealed Michael Keaton was in talks to return as Bruce Wayne/Batman for The Flash. As if that news wasn't big enough, it was confirmed Affleck would also return as Batman.
Besides being further confirmation the movie will adapt Flashpoint, the news was significant given the fact that Affleck had long denied he would return in the role. The suspicion had been that Affleck's Batman would at least be mentioned in The Flash given in Ezra Miller's Barry Allen worked alongside him. But most assumed it would just be a mention or perhaps a flashback of the two characters from either Justice League or Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, where Allen briefly appears to Bruce Wayne.
According to Muschietti, who was speaking to Vanity Fair, Affleck's role will be a "substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie." The director, who is working on the movie alongside his producer sister Bárbara, adds that Allen and Batman are "more related than we think." He ends by saying their connection starts with them both having lost parents to murder, but doesn't stop there. You can read his full comments below.
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. He’s the baseline. He’s part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure. There's a familiarity there.
Muschietti doesn't confirm just how large a role Affleck has in the movie, but his comments make it clear it will not be a cameo — especially considering Muschietti calls Affleck's Batman the emotional core of the story. It sounds like he will play a pivotal role at the beginning of the movie, setting events in motion.
This means Affleck may only appear at the beginning of the movie, and perhaps at the conclusion. Muschietti says Affleck is the "baseline," who appears before Barry's adventure has started. That could mean Affleck's Batman plays a role at the start of the story but is then not seen again until Allen has returned to his version of Earth and resolved the Flashpoint crisis.
On the other hand, Affleck's role could be more pivotal even than that. Muschietti has said he was surprised by Affleck's willingness to return, and so maybe the role is more substantial than expected. There is the potential for Barry to travel back and forth between universes to fix the timelines, meaning Affleck may turn up at various points throughout the movie. Regardless, Affleck's appearance in The Flash is going to be more than a cameo or flashback, based on what Muschietti has revealed.