Ben Affleck’s canceled Batman movie reportedly would have featured Mr. Freeze and leaned heavily into Arkham Asylum, adding a new detail to the long-scrapped DC project that also had Joe Manganiello lined up as Deathstroke.
Mr. Freeze Was In Affleck’s Batman Movie
The new info comes from Hollywood artist and Illustrator Skyler Pinkerton, who shared the details on social media while replying to a fan.
Pinkerton said he worked on previs material for the film and claimed the canceled Batman movie included Mr. Freeze.
He described Freeze as a small part in the story, but said the character was more than a cameo. Pinkerton also said the Mr. Freeze material was “beautiful and haunting.”
He added that the movie was heavily tied to Arkham Asylum, with multiple villains set to appear.
That lines up with the darker direction fans had long heard Affleck wanted for the project.
Ben Affleck ‘hard suit test’ for Batman v Superman
Bob Richardson Previously Pointed To A Darker Arkham Story
Pinkerton also referenced comments previously made by cinematographer Bob Richardson, who was attached to the movie.
Back in 2019, Richardson said he wanted to shoot Batman with Affleck and confirmed there was a script, though he said it was not a script people loved at the time. He also said Affleck was continuing to rework it.
Richardson explained that Affleck’s take was heading into the insanity side of Batman. He said the story would have gone darker than past versions and focused more on who Batman was internally, including what parts of him were sane and what parts were not. He also said Affleck was moving into Arkham and into a place where “everyone was bad.”
Those comments now sound even more in line with what Pinkerton is saying about Arkham Asylum and a larger villain presence.
Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke in Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Deathstroke Was Also Set For A Major Role
Joe Manganiello had already been linked to the movie as Deathstroke, which had been one of the best-known details about Affleck’s Batman plans.
With this latest Mr. Freeze claim, it sounds like Affleck’s film may have been shaping up as a villain-heavy psychological Batman story centered on Arkham Asylum, with Deathstroke as the main threat and other Gotham rogues showing up along the way.
That movie never happened, but the latest comments offer another look at how different Affleck’s Batman could have been from what ended up reaching the screen.