Ben Affleck Batman V Superman

There are more cracks in the DC Cinematic Universe opening up, though if Ben Affleck is to be believed, the latest hiccup for Warner Bros has less to do with problems with Batman’s place in the new franchise and more to do with Affleck’s desire to focus on his own movie before diving back into the cape and cowl. You see, as of right now, even though Warner Bros wants Affleck in place to do a solo ‘Batman‘ movie for their new cinematic universe, the man is pushing back. According to a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck is currently at work on a new movie based on a novel by Gone Girl’ author Dennis Lehane:

“It’s in development, and right now I’m really focused on finishing ‘Live By Night.’ That’s where my focus is, and I tend to be a one movie at a time guy. So, when I’m finished with this movie, I’ll then focus on my next movie and figure out what that will be.”

Keep in mind, Affleck is an Oscar-winning director and writer, and his recent films have been enjoyed by both critics and audiences, so it would make sense that he would not drop all of his behind-the-camera work these days and focus solely on being Batman for Warner Bros. And of course, Affleck is already signed on for the ‘Justice League‘ movies, and will be making an appearance in ‘Suicide Squad,‘ so it is not like he has not already agreed to do his fair share for the DC Cinematic Universe.

The real question is, could this all be a smoke screen? Could Affleck be disappointed in the direction Warner Bros is taking this universe, and be holding out to see how things shake up after the release of ‘Batman V Superman,’ which is already getting questionable responses from test audiences. At this point, who knows, but Affleck seems like a smart guy, and if he’s uncertain about the future of the DC franchise, maybe there is something more to his decision to keep his distance.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Is Affleck genuinely just concerned with finishing ‘Live By Night’ and will sort out the solo ‘Batman’ movie details later? Share your opinion on the matter in the comments below!