Currently, Warner Brothers’ DC Comics movie ‘Aquaman’ is doing incredible business at the box office. The studio also has ‘Shazam!’ lined up for April and ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ in June 2020, not to mention Todd Phillips’ ‘Joker’, which is not connected to the others, opening in October. Cathy Yan’s ‘Birds of Prey’ is set to begin filming this month to be released next February. After struggling to catch up to Marvel’s output, it looks as though things are finally on track for Warner Brothers and its DC films. With things going so well, is the time right to try fixing one of the biggest DC icons on the big screen?
According to The Hollywood Reporter‘s Borys Kit, Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ is almost ready to go. As Kit stated, “The script is basically in, although Reeves will continue tweaking it and working on it.” Reportedly, WB is eyeing November as the production start date for ‘The Batman’, which will showcase a younger Batman, early in his career. Ben Affleck is not expected to appear onscreen, although he is executive producing.
One lingering question is where does this picture fall in terms of continuity? Does it take place in the same reality as the existing DC Universe films, including those starring Affleck? Or is this a free-standing project disconnected from those? Then again, there is also the possibility that WB could set it in the same reality as ‘Joker’. That’s a long shot, but with ‘Joker’ opening in October and ‘The Batman’ hopefully beginning production in November, there could be time to connect them, if that’s what WB wants.
What is certain is that WB has a lot riding on this picture. While ‘Wonder Woman’ and ‘Aquaman‘ are certified hits, WB has struggled with its DC films. Batman is a proven box office force and WB doesn’t want to tarnish his reputation. That’s why ‘The Batman’ hasn’t been assigned a release date– WB wants to make sure the script is the best it can be and doesn’t want to rush to meet an arbitrary deadline. But it sounds as though the scripting process is where it needs to be, so expect news in terms of casting and other developments in the coming months.
Are you excited that Batman is headed back to the big screen in his own movie?
