No Batman For Ben?

31 Jan, 2017

After weeks of rumors and speculation, Ben Affleck has confirmed he will not direct the planned upcoming superhero movie The Batman. The filmmaker says he still intends to reprise his starring role as Batman, a project for which he’s been working on a screenplay for the last several months.

Affleck released the following statement confirming his departure as director: “There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world.”

Warner Bros., the studio behind the current slate of DC Comics movie adaptations, issued the following statement about the situation: “Warner Bros. fully supports Ben Affleck’s decision and remains committed to working with him to bring a standalone Batman picture to life.”

Whether it’s an oversight or an intentional omission, the statement focuses on the question of director and acting, but makes no mention of the script. Affleck is likely using the extra time to work on the screenplay, but continued buzz that the script is not coming together as hoped makes it possible the omission could be a sign Affleck has done as much writing as he is going to do for now, and is handing it off to someone else at this point — perhaps Geoff Johns, who has been cowriting with Affleck.

Several names are floating around already as being in contention for the director’s chair, including Matt Reeves, Gavin O’Connor, Denis Villeneuve, Matt Ross, and perennial favorite George Miller.

While there’s expectation for Warner to make an announcement soon, keep in mind there’s also good reason not to rush the decision, since The Flash suffered the loss of two directors already and is now starting over nearly from scratch, and Wonder Woman lost its first director as well. The Batman has already lost one director at this point (despite any claims to the contrary, since Affleck was announced as director and confirmed himself as director a few times), so it would be a huge blow to the project after all of this drama to lose a second filmmaker.

With Wonder Woman releasing this summer and Justice Leaguehitting later in the year, Warner could be inclined to take it slow and wait for reactions before they commit fully to a project that still doesn’t have a script they’re happy with. Moreover, if additional changes and delays might be in store for The Batman— more on that in a moment — the studio might prefer to hold off on naming a director until they’re certain where all of the chips are going fall.

Forbes

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