Ben Affleck calls The Flash movie 'a really nice way to revisit' Batman role after Justice League difficulties

Ben Affleck's tenure as the Caped Crusader of Gotham City will apparently close out on a high note after all of the widely publicized difficulties surrounding the production of Justice League. Catching up with Variety over the weekend, Affleck opened up about his return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in next year's standalone Flash movie from director Andy Muschietti. He described the comic book project as a sort of palette cleanser after all the Zack Snyder drama.

“It was a really nice way to revisit that as the prior experience had been difficult,” the actor said. "This was really lovely. Really fun. I had a great time. I’m probably under some gag order that I’m not even aware that I probably just violated and I’m now going to be sued."

Affleck won't be the only Dark Knight to appear in the long-awaited film. Michael Keaton is also reprising the character, whom he hasn't portrayed since Tim Burton's Batman Returns in 1992. However, it's unconfirmed if he's simply meant to be an older version of Affleck's DCEU Wayne or an iteration of Batman from a different universe entirely (more on that below).

"What’s really interesting is how much more I got [Batman] when I went back and did him," Keaton said over the summer. "I get this on a whole other level now. I totally respect it. I respect what people are trying to make. I never looked at it like, 'Oh, this is just a silly thing.' It was not a silly thing when I did Batman [in 1989]."

Based on the well-known Flashpoint storyline by Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert, The Flash will most likely find Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) accidentally wiping the Justice League from existence when he goes back in time to save his mother, Nora Allen (Maribel Verdú), from being killed.

Both Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot are set to appear as jaded versions of Aquaman and Wonder Woman, respectively, who were never part of a larger superhero team. Ray Fisher was originally asked to cameo as Cyborg, but the invitation was rescinded in the face of the actor's ongoing feud with Warner Bros. and DC Films President Walter Hamada.

Birds of Prey scribe Christina Hodson wrote the screenplay with the intention of busting the DC Multiverse wide open. "The cinematic multiverse is gonna be born out of this movie," she said at DC FanDome last summer. "It's born out of Barry's story."

"By opening that door that Flashpoint did in the comics, all of these stories and characters can start to collide," added Miller.

Hopefully, fans will get to feast their eyes on some initial teaser footage during the second edition of DC FanDome later this month. The Flash speeds into theaters everywhere on Nov. 4, 2022.