Warner Bros. is reportedly working on plans to “usher out Affleck’sBatmangracefully.” Ben Affleck is set to appear at Comic-Con this weekend to promote the DCEU’s upcomingJustice Leaguemovie and unveil a new trailer, but there could be trouble underneath the surface for the future of Affleck’s portrayal of the Dark Knight. The news comes afterThe Batmandirector Matt Reeves revealed that he had thrown outAffleck’s original scriptand was starting from scratch.
A source close to the project has toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat “the studio is working on plans to usher outAffleck’s Batmangracefully, addressing the change in some shape or form in one of the upcoming DC films.” It is important to take any information that comes from a “source” with a grain of salt, but with all of the events surroundingThe Batmanin the past year, this does seem quite plausible.
Though it has been reported in the past that Warner Bros.' Toby Emmerich has said that “Ben is ourBatman” and that they intend to “keep him in the cowl as long as we can.” EvenMatt Reeveshas said in the past that he intends to keep Ben Affleck as hisBatman. But as far as anybody knows, the movie still does not have an official release date and is still currently being rewritten by Reeves, which could mean that it could be a while before we see anybody jumping into the Batsuit. Fans have joked that by the time the movie gets into production that Affleck may be better suited for Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred, a fair assumption since Reeves has reportedly set his sights on his very ownBatmantrilogy, an idea that makes sense after coming to the project after thePlanet of the Apestrilogy.
There is a whole bunch of different ways that Warner Bros. can approach the subject of replacing Affleck. They could keep him in theJustice Leaguefranchise while hiring somebody new to takeover the standalone movies, which could be interesting, but seems unlikely according to the DCEU’s current model. Another route would be to go the way of the 1990’sBatmanthat just changed actors and have a fresh face inJustice Leagueas well. MaybeThe Batmangets shelved for the unforeseeable future or at least untilJustice Leagueis finished. We know thatShazam!will be the next DC project to go into production.
Again, nothing has been officially confirmed about Ben Affleck leavingThe Batmanor his replacement. But the rumor does seem to be following a pattern for the project, which started back when Affleck stepped down from director. All of this news comes just as things were starting to look up for the project as Reeves has teased bringing back the detective element toBatmanwhile also stating that he wants fans to get inside the head of theCaped Crusader. We may possibly get someBatmannews at Comic-Con this weekend, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
