For awhile we’ve been hearing that Ben Affleck’s newBatmanstandalone movie will be taking place entirely in Arkham Asylum. That may not be true according to a new rumor. But depending on how you read between the lines, and what else has been said about the movie, it sounds like this solo outing will kick off with a bunch of prisoners escaping the famed institute. Though we know that Deathstroke will be the main bad guy, there will likely be other iconic foes surfacing throughout the movie.
Quite a few rumors have been swirling around the plot ofThe Batman, which Ben Affleck is both starring in and directing. But in all actuality, very little has been confirmed by anyone involved. Things are starting to take shape. And we keep hearing that the famed Arkham Asylum will be a fixture in the upcoming comic book adaptation. But now it seems that Arkham won’t be the main location. What does that mean exactly? Let’s dig into it.
Firstly, the revelation that the newBatmanmovie won’t take place entirely in Arkham Asylum came from The Wrap’sUmberto Gonzalez. He took to hisTwitterin honor ofBatman Dayon Saturday to deliver the scoop. Here is what he had to say.
“What scoop can I give you on #BatmanDay? The standalone film DOES NOT take place entirely inArkhamwith all the villains on the loose.”
So assuming what he had to say is true, what does that mean exactly? Well, it does mean that Arkham Asylum won’t be the main location for the movie, but it doesn’t mean thatBen Affleck’sBatmanmovie won’t feature Arkham at all. It is very likely that Arkham Asylum will be in the movie based on what we’ve heard. But it won’t be like theBatman: Arkham Asylumvideo game where it is Batman vs everyDC villainever, inside this iconic location. However, it sounds like Batman still be fighting a bunch of villains, just not inside Arkham Asylum.
Umberto Gonzalezsays that the movie does not take place with all of the villains loose inside Arkham Asylum. That does not mean that villains won’t be on the loose elsewhere. Let us do some reasonable speculation. We have heard persistent rumors that this newBatmanmovie will feature a lot of bad guys (and maybe girls) from the Batman rogues gallery. What we do know for sure is that Deathstroke, as portrayed byJoe Manganiello, will be the main villain of the movie. Deathstroke is a mercenary. Is it possible that he will break intoArkham Asylumand let a bunch of villains out to wreak havoc on Gotham City? Absolutely.Ben Affleckportrays an old, battle-hardened version of Batman in the DC Extended Universe. In order to push him to his limits, it would make sense that he would need to face off against more than one adversary. That would be a cool and creative way to do it and it would also gel with the report claiming that the whole movie doesn’t take place in Arkham.
Now, as for what villains we may be seeing in this potential Arkham prison break? That is a bit more ambiguous. Deadshot, Harley Quinn and The Joker are all already introduced in the DCEU courtesy ofSuicide Squad, so we can safely guess thatJared Letowill be reprising his role as the Clown Prince of Crime on some level in the movie. There have also already been references to other Batman villains like The Riddler and KGBeast, so they are strong possibilities as well. Arkham Asylum is home to the worst of the worst, so really nothing’s off limits or out of the question.
Ben Affleckis getting close to wrapping onZack Snyder’sJustice Leagueand outside of doing press, he is pretty much done with his next directorial effortLive By Night. That likely means he is hard at work on hisBatman Rebootmovie, which he is writing withGeoff Johns. Warner Bros. has yet to set a release date for the movie, but given the positive response to Batfleck in the DCEU so far, it seems likely that they aren’t going to make us wait too long. The question is, will we see a big Arkham Asylum jailbreak? Or are we just going to get a little Arkham Asylum tour that teases villains for future movies and elements of Batman’s past? We will unfortunately have to wait and find out.
