Fans were disappointed when it was revealed Ben Affleck’s cameo as Batman would be cut from Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom. However, according to director James Wan, the scene was never meant to be part of the sequel.
Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom has been cut in the center of multiple regime changes with DC Studios. This left many to speculate the film was experiencing choppy waters behind the scenes, especially considering they cut such a prominent cameo with Ben Affleck’s Batman. When asked if the sequence would ever see the light of day, the film’s director James Wan admitted it was only filmed as a contingency:
“Probably not,” Wan tells Empire Magazine. “All I’ll say is that those scenes were just to have something in the bank in case we needed to explain time continuity if we came out first”.
While it’s certainly a shame fan’s won’t be seeing Ben Affleck return in Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, it’s also a good sign that the film wasn’t forced to cut Batman in an attempt to keep continuity. It seems as though James Wan is running a tighter ship than many may think, giving fans some hope for the final DC Studios film before the reboot.
The future of the DC Universe
James Gunn and Peter Safran told journalists that their vision for the DC Universe includes locked scripts, wiggle room, and a unified storyline across film, television, animation, and video game projects. The two explained that the DC Universe could bring back elements from previous DC regimes, meaning that their eight-to-year plan is not a full reboot.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods, The Flash, and Blue Beetle have all been released following the announcement of the new DC Universe, with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom still slated to hit theaters in 2023. Will the characters from those movies make appearances in the new DCU? Only Gunn and Safran know.
Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the DC Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
