Aquaman 2: Michael Keaton’s and Ben Affleck’s Batman cut from The Lost Kingdom

Details are emerging from Aquaman 2’s troubled shoot, including news that both Michael Keaton’s and Ben Affleck’s Batman were cut from the superhero sequel.

Aquaman 2 – aka Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – has been shooting for years. Once again directed by James Wan and starring Jason Momoa, the big budget movie has seen its release date pushed back due to multiple rounds of reshoots, overseen by three different Warner Bros. regimes.

The first movie made more than a billion dollars at the global box office, so it isn’t surprising that WB wants to get this one right. Especially as recent releases Shazam: Fury of the Gods and The Flash have flopped for the studio.

But thanks to a new behind-the-scenes report, Aquaman 2 sounds like a seriously confused production. Particularly when it comes to the involvement of Batman.

Michael Keaton’s and Ben Affleck’s Batman cut from Aquaman 2

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Keaton shot scenes as Batman for the movie, which were then cut. Followed by Ben Affleck appearing in scenes as his Batman, which also now won’t make it into the movie.

The outlet states that previous DC Films head Walter Hamada wanted Keaton’s Batman to function like Marvel’s Nick Fury in the features, providing connective tissue between the movies.

The character apparently performed that role in the now-shelved Batgirl movie. And once again in The Flash, via scenes that made it into the finished film. But shifting release dates meant that no longer made sense for the Aquaman sequel, so Keaton was axed.

Ben Affleck was then drafted in to shoot scenes as his iteration of the Dark Knight. Now, however, those sequences have also been excised, with THR stating that new DC bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran “do not want to promise a movie universe that will not come to fruition, nor tie it down excessively to past failures.”

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom reshoots continue

The same report reveals that Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has undergone three rounds of costly reshoots. But there could be light at the end of the tunnel.

THR states that James Gunn “weighed in” on the most recent reshoots, approved for five days, and Wan got them done – to everyone’s satisfaction – in four. Meaning third time might be a charm for this seemingly cursed production.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is currently locked into a December 20, 2023 release date. For more on Aquaman 2, head here.