Ben Affleck Returning For ‘Justice League 2’ To Keep Ana De Armas Happy?

1:00 pm, January 7, 2021

Ben Affleck at a Justice League premiere party. — (Cubankite/Shutterstock.com)

Ben Affleck‘s brief run as Batman wasn’t exactly the greatest time in his career. Though his actual acting was one of the most consistently praised aspects of the DC Extended Universe, the star seemed more than ready to move on from the role after the films were critical bombs. A new report says that Affleck is happily rejoining the franchise, but only on account of his latest girlfriend, Ana de Armas.

Report: Affleck Will Do As Many Batman Movies As He Can

The report appears in the National Enquirer. According to the outlet, Affleck is “ready to rush back” to the role after temporarily giving up on the Caped Crusader due to the massive amount of critical backlash he received for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. However, he’s not taking up the mantle out of a passion for the Dark Knight or anything like that.

Instead, he’s braving the critics for his girlfriend and fellow superstar, Ana de Armas. An anonymous source tells the outlet that Affleck is “hoping to buy a new love nest for himself” and the No Time To Die actress soon. He’s apparently done some thinking about their future together, and “he hopes [she] will be his future wife” once he secures the paycheck. The snitch adds,

He knows being Batman will bring in the bucks!

Studio tipsters explain that Affleck is set to reprise the role in The Flash and one more Justice League film, although it’s unclear if the tabloid and its sources mean some sort of Justice League sequel or the impending Snydercut version of the original film that saw several reshoots. “Ben figures beggars can’t be choosers when he gets $5 million for a couple of weeks work,” one of the insiders concludes. “He used to be snobby about making superhero films, but Ben says now he will play Batman as long as they keep paying him!”

There’s one other complication that’s influencing his decision, and that’s the fact that Affleck was “feeling the pinch” due to his divorce from ex-wife Jennifer Garner that saw her walk away with “a ‘significant’ payout from Ben’s $150 million fortune” that went towards her “dream home.”

Ben Affleck’s Batman Is Indeed Returning

While it is true that Affleck will in fact be joining The Flash as one version of Batman, there’s nothing else in this report that checks out. The source’s claim about Affleck suiting up for a new Justice League movie looks to be just another misleading tabloid spin on something that’s actually true. As we mentioned, the insider is vague enough to say that there’s a sequel in the works, when in reality, Affleck “reprised” his role for late reshoots for HBO Max’s impending Snydercut version of the film. There have been no official confirmations about a direct sequel to 2017’s Justice League quite yet.

However, there’s nothing to say that Ben Affleck is in some sort of financial straits. It’s especially egregious to claim that he’s short on cash on account of his 2018 divorce from Jennifer Garner, with whom he’s still on good terms. The Argo star has been one of the biggest names in Hollywood for decades now, and in the same year he finalized his divorce from Garner, he landed a nearly $20 million mansion that was located close to their formerly shared home.

Is He Planning A Future With Ana De Armas?

As far as the claims about buying a new lovenest and eloping with de Armas go, they seem just as suspicious. Don’t get us wrong, the two seem to be in a great place together, but the National Enquirer is the same outlet that was blabbering about the couple being pregnant last fall. Obviously, that rumor was bogus. Likewise, it previously published a questionable report that said he was basically giving up on his kids to fawn over de Armas instead. While we wouldn’t be surprised to see the two get engaged or otherwise get even more serious, we doubt the news of it will come from the Enquirer.