Ben Affleck will return as Batman in The Flash… which will also feature cameo from Michael Keaton

Ben Affleck is putting his cape back on, set to reprise his role as Batman for The Flash.

The Berkeley-born actor played the part of Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Justice League, earning mixed reviews for his take on the moody crime-fighter.

But apparently Affleck, 48, signed onto the DC Comics project after receiving the script late last week, according to Vanity Fair. 

Despite his time as the Dark Knight being divisive, The Flash director Andy Muschietti thinks Ben is the perfect one for the ‘masculine’ but ‘vulnerable’ character, telling Vanity Fair: ‘He knows how to deliver from the inside out.’

‘His Batman has a dichotomy that is very strong, which is his masculinity—because of the way he looks, and the imposing figure that he has, and his jawline —but he’s also very vulnerable,’ Muschietti – who directed It and the followup It 2 – told the magazine about the film, which is slated for a Summer 2022 release.

‘He knows how to deliver from the inside out, that vulnerability. He just needs a story that allows him to bring that contrast, that balance.’

While the story will focus on speedy superhero The Flash, AKA Barry Allen, Affleck still plays a key role.

‘He’s a very substantial part of the emotional impact of the movie. The interaction and relationship between Barry and Affleck’s Wayne will bring an emotional level that we haven’t seen before,’ Muschietti explained.

‘It’s Barry’s movie, it’s Barry’s story, but their characters are more related than we think. They both lost their mothers to murder, and that’s one of the emotional vessels of the movie. That’s where the Affleck Batman kicks in.’

Muschietti is also happy to be working with Affleck because of his experience as a director, saying: ‘I’m glad to be collaborating with someone who has been on both sides of the camera, too. He understands.’

The movie, which stars Ezra Miller as The Flash, is based off of the DC’s 2011 Flashpoint series, which sees Barry breaking into other dimensions where he’ll come face to face with different versions of the classic heroes.

This means Ben isn’t the only Batman who is back. Michael Keaton, who starred in Tim Burton’s camp-tastic 1989 adventure, will return to the role in what Muschietti described as a ‘substantial’ part.

Still, the director seen Affleck as an anchor, seeing as he already fought alongside The Flash in Justice League.

‘He’s the baseline. He’s part of that unaltered state before we jump into Barry’s adventure,’ Muschietti said. ‘There’s a familiarity there.’

Ben almost returned to the role in a standalone film called The Batman, which he was set to star in an direct.

But the project came at a tough personal time for the actor, who was coping with his split from Jennifer Garner and also dealing with alcoholism.

‘I showed somebody The Batman script,’ Affleck told the New York Times earlier this year. ‘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.”‘

The Batman is now being directed by Matt Reeves, with actor Robert Pattinson in the starring role. The project is currently on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic but is slated to start shooting again come fall.