Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
News has dropped that, despite the less-than-unanimous fan opinion of his portrayal, Ben Affleck will be back as Batman in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom."
It's unclear though how much Batman will be involved in the upcoming sequel to 2018's “Aquaman." As Deadline reported, Warner Bros. offered no more details about the production.
It’s a sure thing though, as Aquaman himself, actor Jason Mamoa, leaked the news on his Instagram this week.
Along with two shots of Affleck and Momoa laughing it up, Momoa writes, "REUNITED bruce and arthur. love u and miss u Ben WB studio tours just explored the backlot alright. busted on set all great things coming AQUAMAN 2 all my aloha j."
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The second half of that caption refers to the funny clip that is also included the post, and might explain why Momoa decided to let the Bat out of the bag.
In the clip, Momoa appears to have just walked out of a soundstage, and there’s a tourist trolley sitting there full of fans taking photos – just as he’s entering Ben Affleck’s trailer.
Momoa busts out laughing and says, “Well, we tried to keep it a secret.”
So chalk his Instagram post up to trying to get ahead of the story, before all those trolley fans start posting their own surprise photos.
Robert Pattinson recently impressed, critically and financially, as Gotham's conflicted protector in this year's huge hit, "The Batman." Nevertheless, it makes sense that Affleck would be back, as he’s been the Batman in a number of the most recent DC superhero blockbusters, including "Justice League" which also featured Aquaman.
As Deadline noted, the two-time Oscar winner, Affleck, starred as Batman/Bruce Wayne in 2016’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” More recently he reprised the role in 2017’s “Justice League” (and subsequently in director Zack Snyder 2021 director’s cut of the epic), and in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” He will also play Batman in next year’s “The Flash.”
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Momoa played Aquaman in “Batman v Superman” and “Justice League,” and he’ll obviously be back in the sequel as the gilled superhero, aka Arthur Curry. James Wan returns as director.
A pretty impressive bevy of co-stars are lined up too, including Amber Heard, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Dolph Lundgren, Nicole Kidman, and Randall Park.
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” will swim into theaters on March 17, 2023.
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