Ben Affleck, who has played the role of Batman since 2016’s Batman v Superman, has “finally figured out” how to play the caped crusader in The Flash.
“It’s my best s–t I have done as Batman!” Affleck said on the Smartless podcast while promoting Air. “I finally figured out how to play the guy! I know I quit but I got it now! Like you do the audition and you are on your way home, you are like ‘No!’ I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there was a scene where I get saved by Wonder Woman during a conflagration with some bad guys. She saves me with the Lasso of Truth, so what happens is that Batman divulges some of his real feelings about his life and his work. I was like ‘Wait a minute; I got it!”
The Flash’s DC Universe future
Warner Bros. Discovery already has a script for a potential sequel to The Flash, written by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the man behind the two Aquaman movies starring Jason Momoa. However, James Gunn and Peter Safran did not discuss the Flash sequel during their DC Universe presentation.
DC Studios co-head James Gunn recently described The Flash as “one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.”
Directed by Andy Muschietti from a script written by Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson, The Flash is inspired by the Flashpoint comic book storyline, which followed Barry Allen as he navigated an altered DC Universe. Written by Geoff Johns and penciled by Andy Kubert, Flashpoint radically altered the status of the DC Comics universe and led to the launch of the New 52 titles.
In addition to Ezra Miller, The Flash also features Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as two separate versions of Batman, Ron Livingston as Henry Allen, Maribel Verdú as Nora Allen, Kiersey Clemons as Iris West, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Antje Traue as Faora-Ul and Sasha Calle as Supergirl. Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rudy Mancuso and Luke Brandon Field are also on board in undisclosed roles.
The film’s official synopsis: Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
The Flash hits theaters on June 16, 2023.
