Another day, anotherBen Affleckis/isn’t Batman story. The Oscar-winning filmmaker and performer made a major commitment in signing on to star as the Caped Crusader shortly afterArgowon Best Picture, but that was four years ago, and times at Warner Bros. are a-changin’. The studio has been course-correcting its DC Extended Universe a bit after the dourBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justiceand muddledSuicide Squadfailed to spark to critics, but the unqualified success ofWonder Womanshows the way forward, and Warner Bros. has been making big (and different) moves in its wake.
One thing thathasn’tstayed consistent is Ben Affleck’s status as Batman—at least unofficially. Rumors began surfacing late last year that Affleck wanted out of his contract and didn’t want to be Batman anymore, but WB and Affleck’s camp both tried to ease concerns by assuring fans he was and will be Batman for the foreseeable future. Then faith faltered once again when Affleckdropped out of directingthe standaloneThe Batmanciting the workload of pulling double duty on that pic, withWar for the Planet of the ApeshelmerMatt Reevesstepping in to direct. Then, just days before Affleck took the stage at Comic-Con to tout his role in this November’sJustice League, a report came out of THR stating that WBwas exploring ways to phase Affleck’s Batman outof the DCEU.
Affleck himself took that report head on, citing his desire (if maybe not WB’s) to remain The Batman:
“My status remains what it always is. I’ve done the two movies. I’ve always intended on doing a third if Warners wants to make it. Certainly, if the Batphone rings, I will answer.”
Now, once again,THRis reporting that sources indicate Affleck willnotstar inThe Batmanafter all, buried in their story onLeonardo DiCapriobeing courted to play The Jokerin a standalone origin movie unconnected to the DCEU. Reeves himself recently confirmed thatThe Batmanwill definitely be part of the DCEU, so if Affleck is indeed out, we’re either in for aBatman Forever-esque recasting or Reeves’ planned trilogy will focus on a younger Batman, telling a prequel-esque story to the DCEU we’ve seen thus far.
So what’s all this mean? Is Affleck in or is he out? It’s unclear, and it may remain unclear for some time. If Affleck is indeed completely 100% out as Batman, Warner Bros. and Affleck both may want to keep that information under wraps until afterJustice Leaguehits theaters in November—no need to give audiences a reasonnotto see a movie with a lame duck Batman. But it does seem like all of this is a bit fluid. Reeves has only just started getting into the nitty gritty of writing and developingThe Batman, so it may yet be some time before that film gets fully fleshed out. For now, Affleck’s status as Batman remains, well, in flux.
