You may remember a story from a while back where we reported scenes with Batman were cut from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. These weren’t long scenes, just a few brief appearances, but originally they were meant for Michael Keaton post-The Flash. Later, Ben Affleck was brought in to fill the void when plans suddenly changed.
Jason Momoa revealed details on Instagram when the cat leaped out of the bag and he was spotted hanging with Affleck on the Warner Bros. studio lot. “I mean, it’s just hugs and kisses, I love that guy. We get along too well, and it’s very good to see him again. Too much fun, it’s too much fun,” Momoa teased in a Variety interview.
Sadly, his excitement was soon soiled by the ascension of James Gunn and Peter Safran, who have their own plans, to the head of the newly christened DC Studios. Plugs were pulled on Henry Cavill and Affleck’s respective returns to their given capes, and a new Batman and Superman will have adventures in a rebooted cinematic universe.
#SEE star Jason Momoa talks working with Ben Affleck on #Aquaman2: "It's just hugs and kisses, I love that guy…We get along too well." https://t.co/iInqR82NfV pic.twitter.com/8s0nhahTBm
— Variety (@Variety) August 24, 2022
Adding fuel to that fire is the failing 2023 DC slate of leftovers bombing one after the other. Things no longer look upbeat for Aquaman 2, though Amber Heard’s presence didn’t give it much of a chance in fans’ eyes to begin with, and another setback loomed. This is where the purported decision to nix Batman from the film comes in.
Word arose from insider KC Walsh that a recent test screening of Lost Kingdom had no sign or hint of a Batman. The explanation is neither Keaton nor Affleck’s services were required any longer.
“Without spoiling anything I’ll just say they cut a major scene and it appears the Bruce Wayne scene is no longer necessary,” he tweeted.
In April of this year, KC Walsh elaborated further, explaining, “Keaton was originally the Batman, then when it moved they shot the same scene with Affleck but ended up just cutting it altogether.”
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The plot didn’t tie into a larger universe anymore after some reworking, and Keaton’s presence apparently confused audiences who hadn’t seen The Flash — not that they are flocking to that film now that it’s in theaters. However, while the next Aquaman is shaping up to be more standalone, these claims of a late rewrite are still categorical speculations.
Until the sequel comes out, we won’t know for sure and until then, moreover, the speculation has every opportunity to get more bizarre and absurd. Take a theory proposed by The Direct, for example, it follows that since neither Affleck nor Keaton ultimately showed up as Bruce at the end of The Flash, George Clooney is taking their place.
As The Direct postulates, “Jason Momoa’s Aquaman appeared in The Flash’s post-credits scene in the timeline where George Clooney was shown as Bruce Wayne, the Batman & Robin star, in theory, should be the actor for Aquaman 2’s Dark Knight cameo.”
If the cameo is still in play, we’ll see how things shake out.