Though insiders have reported in the past that Warner Bros. was seeking to produce a World’s Finest team-up movie between Robert Pattinson’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman, a new rumor elaborating on the studio’s supposed plans has given favorable odds to Ben Affleck wearing the cowl for just a little while longer.
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In his latest scoop, Geekosity’s Mikey Sutton states that “there is a chance that it will be Affleck, not Robert Pattinson,” the star of Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman and the previous odds-on favorite to portray Batman in the supposed crossover, “who will join Henry Cavill’s Superman in a planned World’s Finest movie.”
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Last September, Sutton hinted that Ben Affleck would be written out of the DCEU, through the reality-changing events of the upcoming The Flash, in order to make way for Robert Pattinson to take the reins of the Dark Knight taking in the mainline cinematic continuity.
“AT&T wants to see Pattinson and Cavill team up for a World’s Finest adventure, developing a much less hostile relationship than what was displayed in Dawn of Justice,” Sutton wrote at the time.
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However, Sutton now reports that “Affleck’s future as Batman is still being questioned“, as “There is a push and pull between rumors, whether The Flash will be his last bow or if he’s going to proceed with his Dark Knight solo film or miniseries on HBO Max.”
“From what I’ve been told,” Sutton added, “I’m leaning towards he won’t be done after The Flash as he wants his Batman story to mark his legacy.”
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While the alleged on-set headaches of The Batman as a result of the supposed creative conflict between Pattinson and Reeves may, if true, end up playing a role in the final casting decision, Sutton asserts that the most deciding factor in the battle for the cowl will be the results of both both Zack Snyder’s cut of Justice League and Reeves’ The Batman.
“If [Zack Snyder’s Justice League is] a mammoth smash, and Pattinson’s The Batman doesn’t meet expectations, it’d be difficult not to cast Affleck in World’s Finest unless he really doesn’t want to do it,” noted Sutton. “If you’re not thrilled with a Pattinson-Cavill movie, hope is not lost for Affleck’s Dark Knight returning.”
The term “World’s Finest” has been synonymous with Batman-Superman team-ups since DC began publishing World’s Finest Comics, originally World’s Best Comics, in the 1940s, as nearly every issue of the series featured some sort of team-up between the two iconic heroes.
Modern fans will better recognize the term as the title of a three-episode story on The New Batman/Superman Adventures, in which the two uneasy allies had to combine their efforts to thwart The Joker’s plan to kill Superman and destroy half of Metropolis. The episodes were eventually cut together into the animated feature The Batman Superman Movie: World’s Finest.
Which Batman would you prefer to see team up with Cavill’s Man of Steel? Let us know your thoughts on social media or in the comments down below!