For anyone hoping to see what Matt Reeves has in mind for ‘Batman’ in his upcoming standalone movie (not to mention who finally gets cast to replace Ben Affleck in the titular role), you may be in for a bit of a wait. According to a source over at Heroic Hollywood, it seems that production on Reeve’s ‘Batman’ film is not slated to begin until 2019, which means it most likely will not get to theaters until 2020-2021 at earliest.
This makes sense when you think about it, especially as this year already has ‘Shazam!,’ ‘Wonder Woman 2,’ and the Joker origin story on the books to shoot, and cramming in another might not make the most fiscal sense, especially for a film franchise still struggling to regain its footing after the failures of ‘Justice League.’ Clearly, Reeves wants to make sure he is giving his film the time and attention it requires, especially since Batman has been done on the big screen so many times before, and it will take something truly special to really get people excited again.
Of course, as stated before, the other big question for Reeves will be who exactly is going to play the Dark Knight. Affleck is reportedly returning for one final time in the upcoming ‘Flashpoint’ film, during which he will gracefully exit the franchise and make room for some fresh blood. Warner Bros/ DC and Reeves have a lot of work to do to find the right actor to fill his shoes, especially if they want someone they can keep around for a little while and be game to make appearances in a lot of other movies. Of course, the rumored number one pick is still Jake Gyllenhaal, but that might not end up being the direction Reeves takes for the role. After all, Affleck was a bit of a surprise choice when his casting was announced, and I would not be surprised if the new Batman also shocked some of the fanbase.
Regardless, Reeves has another year to figure it out, let’s just hope he makes the most of that time, and when Batman returns to the big screen in that solo movie (which will be 8-9 years since his last solo outing!), I’m hoping it will be well worth the wait.
