It’s time to go or get off the proverbial pot, Warner Brothers. There have been so many rumors as to whether or not Ben Affleck will continue in the role of Batman in the DC film universe. Unlike Marvel, who go for more middle range actors who demand moderate salaries, Warner Brothers coughed up big bucks to sign major names for their superhero flicks, like Affleck and Will Smith, in hopes that their star power would attract more of an audience. (P.S. that never works.)
More so than Smith, Affleck’s casting as the iconic Batman initially drew massive fan hate. Then came the dreadful reviews of ‘Batman V Superman’, a movie that all involved expected to be the biggest movie of the year, but instead was trashed soundly by both critics and moviegoers, which resulted in the infamous “Sad Affleck” meme, that was so popular that the song used in the video, ‘The Sound of Silence’ by Simon & Garfunkel from 1963, shot straight into the Top Ten again. More than any other DC movie actor, Affleck seems to have taken the worst beating.
Matt ReevesAffleck was announced as director and star of a solo ‘The Batman’ flick, but he promptly stepped down from the director role, which then went to Matt Reeves (‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’). This was the first indication that he may have been unhappy with Warner Brothers and their DC movies. Ever since, rumors have surfaced that Affleck is both planning on hanging up his cowl and walking away from the DC Universe, and that he is staying on.
Recently, it was rumored that Reeves didn’t WANT Affleck in ‘The Batman’ and was eyeing Jake Gyllenhaal to replace him, but Gyllenhaal has since signed on to star in Sony/Marvel’s ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ sequel.
The most recent rumor originated with Deadline‘s coverage of Geoff Johns’ abdicating his role as DC Entertainment president and DC Comics chief creative officer. In the write-up, it is mentioned that Reeves was indeed planning for ‘The Batman’ to serve as a reboot, with a new actor in the title role.
Well… I guess we’ll wait and see. Reeves and Mark Bomback are reconfiguring the script, which in Affleck’s draft featured Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke as the main villain. Who knows what it will be about now?
Sound off! Do you want more Affleck as Batman? Or would you rather they cast someone else? If so, who?
