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It’s not been smooth sailing for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’s journey to the big screen so far. The Jason Momoa-led sequel has faced several release date delays and multiple reshoots over the past few years, and it seems like more are happening.
The Hollywood Reporter details that one big ongoing issue has been Batman – and it now seems Ben Affleck’s version of the character is on the cutting room floor. The latest cut of the film, which now operates under the watchful eyes of DC Studio heads Peter Safran and James Gunn, featured no version of the Caped Crusader.
According to the publication, this is because they don’t want to promise a movie universe that isn’t going to happen. Their plan, called DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters mostly does away with the DC movies to date, and will feature a new Batman movie.
Aquaman 2 already had a storied history with Batman cameos after Michael Keaton’s was cut earlier on in the process. The initial plan under former DC Films boss Walter Hamada had been for Michael Keaton’s version of the character (who returned in The Flash) to become a mainstay of the movies. However, this was thrown into question by shifting release dates meaning Aquaman 2 was originally going to be out before The Flash. So Keaton’s cameo was out at that point and reshot with Affleck in his place.
Elsewhere in THR’s deep dive into the movie, it seems Gunn and Safran recently okayed more reshoots on Aquaman 2 which took place earlier this year. As it marks the final movie in the DC Extended Universe, which kicked off with Man of Steel back in 2013, it seems the DC heads are keen to make it a fitting send-off.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in theaters on December 20, 2023. For more on DC, here are all the new DC movies and shows on the way as well as how to watch the DC movies in order.
