Zack Snyder is continuing his DCEU nostalgia run, this time sharing a new image of Ben Affleck as Batman.
The director posted the black-and-white Batman image on Instagram with a Bruce Wayne quote from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
“I’m older now than my father ever was. This may be the only thing I do that matters,” Zack posted.
Zack Snyder shares Ben Affleck Batman image
The image shows Affleck’s Batman standing in the rain, surrounded by smoke, wreckage, and shadows.
It looks pulled from the darker visual language Snyder used for Batman v Superman, with Batman appearing more like a mythic force than a traditional superhero. The glowing white eyes also stand out, giving the suit an armored, almost monster-like look.
Snyder has been sharing a batch of DCEU images on Instagram, including recent posters featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman with the words “Dawn,” “Of,” and “Justice.”
Those posters came with the caption: “power of the Trinity. Batman. Superman. Wonder Woman. Myth. Strength. Truth.”
Zack’s latest posts also follow his Justice League movie seeing renewed interest overseas.
Ben Affleck was supposed to get his own Batman movie
Affleck’s Batman was not supposed to end with Batman v Superman and Justice League.
At one point, Affleck was attached to star in and direct a solo Batman movie for Warner Bros. titled The Batman. The project would have featured Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, following the tease at the end of Justice League.
The movie was also confirmed to include other Batman villains, including Mr. Freeze, with the story reportedly involving Arkham Asylum and several enemies from Batman’s rogues gallery.
Manganiello has previously described the abandoned film as a dark, intense Batman story that would have put Deathstroke directly against Affleck’s Bruce Wayne. The idea was to make Slade Wilson tear Bruce’s life apart piece by piece.
Instead, the project fell apart, and Warner Bros. eventually moved forward with Matt Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson.
The Flash was also supposed to continue Affleck’s Batman
Affleck did return as Batman in The Flash, but that was also not supposed to be the full end of his version of the character.
As I previously reported, the real ending of The Flash was supposed to bring Affleck’s Batman back and set up a larger Batman Multiverse direction.
That plan would have involved Affleck’s Batman, Michael Keaton continuing in a Batman Beyond-style direction, and more Batman-related projects branching out across the DC Multiverse.
Instead, the ending was changed after James Gunn and Peter Safran took over DC Studios and announced the new DCU.
Affleck has no interest in directing for Gunn’s DCU
Following the DCU announcement, Affleck made it clear he had no plans to direct a project for James Gunn’s version of DC.
“I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not,” Affleck said. “I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
That closed the door, at least publicly, on the idea of Affleck returning behind the camera for a new DC movie attached to Gunn’s DCU.
What Ben Affleck is doing now
Affleck has stayed busy outside DC.
The latest update has Affleck and Matt Damon looking back on Good Will Hunting and their long friendship, including the role Robin Williams played in the film’s legacy. Good Will Hunting won Affleck and Damon the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and helped launch both of their careers.
The two have also continued working together through Artists Equity, their production company. Affleck recently starred with Damon in The Rip for Netflix, and he is also directing the upcoming crime thriller Animals, which stars Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and Ray Fisher.
Still, for a lot of DC fans, Affleck’s Batman remains the one that got away.
Snyder’s latest post only adds to that feeling.
