#BatFleck: Fans demand more Ben Affleck Batman content from HBO Max, but it's unlikely that will happen
Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Batman in Zack Snyder’s DC Extended Universe is arguably one of the most contentious ones. There is no middle ground there. People either believe he’s the best Batman so far, or they absolutely hate him. While arguments for the former are more concrete, the dogmatic nature of fans on either side makes it difficult to ignore either opinion.
But on Saturday, June 27, it was the Affleck fans who were more vocal. Fans trended #BatFleck (a portmanteau of Batman and Affleck) on Twitter, expressing their love for the Snyder Batman. Thousands tweeted to AT&T about putting more BatFleck on HBO Max, which was launched a month ago by the AT&T-owned WarnerMedia.
“Ben Affleck's Batman is brutal and scary, just as he should be. @ATT Give us more #Batfleck on @hbomax!” wrote a fan. Another wrote, “Give this man his role back. He and his fans deserve to see him do the cowl again #Batfleck @hbomax @ATT.”
Several fans, aside from a solo Batman movie featuring Affleck, also wanted a Batman and Deathstroke film or show as well. Another fan wrote, “Continue the story of Batman by bringing back #Batfleck! Paused not Stopped. I would love to see the story of Batman and #Deathstroke.”
“How about finishing his arc before going back to the older portrayals? Ben Affleck deserves it. He believed in the vision and gave his all for the role,” suggested another fan.
But is that a possibility. Especially since Robert Pattinson’s casting has garnered favorable excitement. Affleck left the role after the massive commercial disappointment that was the ‘Justice League’ Joss Whedon-theatrical cut.
Earlier this year, speaking to the New York Times in a candid profile, the actor opened up about certain issues. He said, “I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.”
He added, “I showed somebody ‘The Batman script’. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again’.”
In another interview in March, when asked if he wanted to return to the DCEU, Affleck said, “I had an opportunity to write and direct and star in a stand-alone ‘Batman’. And it happened at a point in my life when I lost interest in those stories,” adding, “I'll go see Robert's [movie]. I think it's gonna be great. He's great.” He also joked that he would be open to playing Batman again a few decades from now: “Maybe a very old Batman. With a walker.”
But there may be problems with that fantasy as well. As per reports, Michael Keaton is in talks to return to his role as Batman in the upcoming DC Extended Universe film, ‘The Flash’. Keaton reportedly is in talks for a multi-film deal to return as the Caped Crusader.
The only hope that remains for fans right now is depending on the success of the much-anticipated “Snyder Cut” of ‘Justice League’, HBO Max and Warner Media may want to persuade Affleck to don the BatFleck mantle once more.
