The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is now arriving in cinemas worldwide and with it comes an unexpected Batman-related milestone. That being that Will Arnett has played LEGO Batman in three films now, thereby ranking him alongside Christian Bale and Ben Affleck as the only three actors to portray (very different versions of) the Dark Knight on the big screen three times.
Having earned that accolade, Arnett now has the right to throw shade at the last movie of his fellow Caped Crusader and on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, that’s exactly what he did. To begin with, the actor joked that his Batman is comparable to Bale’s iteration in the Dark Knight movies, as they’ve each played the role three times. Kimmel then jumped in by pointing out that Affleck also did the same. However, it seems as if Arnett doesn’t like to count 2017’s Justice League as a proper Batman movie. “Justice League, I mean, I’m not counting that,” he quipped. “But yes, Ben did.”
See for yourself in the video below:
Arnett first played the iconic LEGO Batman in 2014’s The LEGO Movie before following it up with his own vehicle in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie and now, The LEGO Movie 2. Affleck, meanwhile, debuted as the latest live-action Bruce Wayne in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice while also appearing in a small role in Suicide Squad before showing up in JL.
Many DC fans would agree with Arnett trying to wipe Justice League from existence, though, as it’s widely agreed that it bungled what should’ve been a triumphant introduction to the iconic team of super-friends on the cinematic stage. In particular, fans didn’t enjoy the attempts to lighten Affleck’s Batman, who’d previously been one of the darkest versions of the character.
The sad thing is that Justice League is destined to be Affleck’s final turn in the cape and cowl, as it’s now been confirmed – after the longest stretch of contradictory rumors and reports – that he won’t star in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman. This means Arnett’s definitely the second longest-serving Caped Crusader and if he keeps making LEGO movies until at least 2022, then he’ll have beaten Bale’s 7-year record to earn the number one spot.