Ben Affleck likely out soon as Batman
 

Interesting.....



The studio is working on plans to usher out Affleck’s Batman gracefully, a source says, addressing the change in some shape or form in one of the upcoming DC films.
Ben Affleck is heading to Comic-Con this weekend to promote Warner Bros.’ upcoming Justice League movie, set for a Nov. 17 release. But how many more times is he likely to put on the Batsuit? Probably not many, if ever again.

Yes, Warners’ film studio chief Toby Emmerich tells The Hollywood Reporter, "Ben is our Batman. We love him as Batman. We want to keep him in the cowl as long as we can." And Matt Reeves, who will direct the studio’s still-undated (and unwritten) The Batman, has said that he means to keep Affleck in the role. But a source with knowledge of the situation says that the studio is working on plans to usher out Affleck’s Batman — gracefully, addressing the change in some shape or form in one of the upcoming DC films.

Exactly when and how that might happen has yet to be determined, but it would be wise to bet against Affleck starring in The Batman. He has already stepped away from directing the film and Reeves is dropping the script that Affleck wrote with D.C. Entertainment’s Geoff Johns.

Reeves also has acknowledged that he has a Batman trilogy rolling around in his head, and given his success making two-thirds of a trilogy out of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, it seems fair to anticipate that Warners will want him to realize his vision.

In addition, Affleck will turn 45 in August, so he would be pushing 50 before The Batman arrives in theaters. If Reeves makes a trilogy, Affleck would be in his mid-50s at best by the time that’s done. Maybe Tom Cruise could pull that off, but Affleck’s body hasn’t exactly been a temple.

And while male stars have been able to stretch their action-film relevance further in an age when there are fewer bankable young stars (Robert Downey Jr. is 52 and going strong as Iron Man), studios favor the fresh-faced — look what happened with Spider-Man, successfully rebooted with 21-year-old Tom Holland. (Affleck also just dropped out of the Netflix project Triple Frontier, and it’s not clear what his next movie will be. His reps declined to comment.)

Warners could hypothetically create dual Batmen, keeping Affleck in the role for a planned Justice League follow-up, while letting Reeves cast his movie with a different star. But that hardly seems likely. The first Justice League already is at an inflection point: Director Zack Snyder has stepped away in mid-production and his successor, Joss Whedon, is said to be doing extensive reshoots. (Note that Justice League member Superman is played by Henry Cavill, 34, The Flash is Ezra Miller, 24, Aquaman is Jason Momoa, 37, and Wonder Woman is 32-year-old Gal Gadot.) And a second Justice League movie would be years down the road. THR reported Thursday that Shazam!, with a yet-to-be-cast title star, will be the next DC movie to shoot.



The landmark 1993 Knightfall storyline left Wayne temporarily paralyzed, leading him to appoint a vigilante called Azrael as his Batman replacement. When Azrael went rogue, Wayne came out of retirement to stop him and then swiftly retired once more, appointing Dick Grayson (AKA Robin) as the new Batman. That was so successful that when Wayne was assumed dead in 2009, Grayson took on the cowl for a second time. (Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises even went this route, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt's John Blake getting the keys to the Batcave after Bale's Bruce Wayne was presumed dead.)


In the comics, Grayson stayed on as Batman even when Wayne returned to work as The Dark Knight, with the two different Batmen splitting appearances between the various comic books. Bruce Wayne took Batman Inc. and Batman and Robin, while Grayson's stories ran in Batman and Detective Comics. Grayson also appeared monthly in the Justice League of America series during this period, arguably making him the more high-profile of the two characters.

Warner Bros. could even go with the Batman Beyond approach. The fan-favorite animated series (1999-2001) saw an elderly Bruce Wayne train a young man called Terry McGinnis as his apprentice, with Wayne teaching him to take over the role as Batman. Of course, there's a downside to the passing-the-torch scenarios: It's hard to imagine fans or Reeves being excited about following someone who is not Bruce Wayne for a Batman trilogy.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hea...future-1023296

Believe it when I see it....WB sounds like they want him back. Odd this is coming out on the heels of SDCC and likely a JL trailer. He is contracted for JL 1&2....not the Batman yet. They said Batman is Bruce Wayne...you have to keep it that way.
Still nervous

From my understanding, it all depends on the success of Justice League.

Reeves idea is a trilogy and will likely cast a younger actor.

Nightwing is coming up soon as well.

Affleck as the older Batman wouldn't be an issue.

Hope its true. Can't stand Affleck as Batman. He is a bloated alcoholic mess and looks ridiculous as the Dark Knight. Don't get me wrong , he's a good to decent director but his acting is lacking in most movies. Plus he is damn near 50 years old. You know damn well Matt Reeves doesn't want to do a Batman trilogy with an old ass Batman at the helm haha.
Like I said, really really hope its true and they get a much younger actor (in his 30s) to portray the Batman .

I have O problems with Affleck as Batman... he can pull off the older, Frank Miller Batman given better scripts

My kid gave me Frank Millers, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns comic a while back... and that aging, beaten down, cynical and murderous Batman is just dying for a movie

And no, Bale vs Bane is not what I'm talking about, at all... what a letdown that was

No matter what happens I trust Reeves but I def like Affleck as Batman...he has that dark knight returns feel to him.

The bottom line is that if Ben Affleck isn't Batman moving forward, it's because Ben Affleck chose not to portray the character moving forward.

He's had a lot of difficulty in his life since the success of The Town. On again, off again relationship with his now ex-wife (who couldn't deal with his success), the negativity surrounding Batman v. Superman, despite earning nearly $900 million dollars, etc.

Affleck is a huge earner for Warners and they're not going to unceremoniously dump him if it isn't something that he doesn't want or will upset him.

Its too bad, because hes a pretty talented guy. NOt the best actor, but an ok one but a really good director. Hopefully he pulls it together.

In a day and age where everyone's a critic, it's very difficult for people to deal with constant criticism, especially with a property like Batman and Superman.

The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Ant-Man, Thor and even Iron Man are much easier to pull of because those characters hadn't been portrayed time and time again on the big and small screen.

That said, I expect significant blowback when the day comes that Marvel replaces Tony Stark with an actor other than RDJ.

Thats a good point and one of the reasons i think Wonder Woman has been so successfull.

There was really nothing to compare it to. It was the first time that characer had been given a decent treatment on film. One that wasnt pure camp anyways.

We saw Spider-Man: Homecoming yesterday and I thought it was fantastic. The best portrayal yet of Spider-man/Peter Parker, from my perspective.

The film was helped out somewhat by the Andrew Garfield and final Tobey Maguire portrayals but IMO, this is the first time Marvel got Spiderman "right".

Tom Holland will have this role as long as he wants and he may end appearing in more movies than RDJ as Iron Man.

I heard that Affleck is actually completely bald. Any truth to that?

It's also the first time they got to do Spider-man at all, theatrically.

IF they can keep Affleck to do Knightfall (more Bane) and have an ultra violent Azrael/Batman, with Batfleck coming in to take the cowl back, that could be cool. If they have to recast him totally, that would suck.

I still have yet to watch any Affleck-as-Batman movie.

I just cant muster any desire to see him as Batman.

Christian Bale fo life.

Umm. There has only been one so far

@SuperBroMovies: BEN CONFIRMED HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE. HE IS BATMAN! “With Reeves doing it, I would be a fucking ape on the ground for Reeves.” #SDCC2017

Ben is great as batsman. He's the best version imo

“Batman is the coolest ****ing part in any universe. I am so thrilled to do it. It is ****ing amazing. After two films, Kevin Tsujihara, Sue Kroll and Toby Emmerich have said, 'We want you to be our Batman'.

"I would be an ape on the ground for Matt Reeves. It’s a great time in the DC universe and you can see why I am so excited to play Batman".

good to hear he's not going anywhere.. I liked his batman.

Bales batman was more jason bourne/bond than batman.

ZIP IT HERETIC

Oh.. shows how much I just have no desire for Ben Affleck to be my Batman. I thought there was a Batman movie + The Superman/Batman movie.

**** that, Kevin Conroy. Anyone else is a poseur

As much as I enjoyed the Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, Bale was essentially a secondary character.

The voice was annoying, too.

Affleck has given a much better performance portraying Bruce Wayne and Batman.

Does anyone really believe that Christian Bale's Batman would've or could've assembled the Justice League?

I don't. Not a chance.

I will give that to Batffleck. He is portraying a darker, more mature, more focused version of Batman that is believable as a reluctant leader. It's in line with the bits and pieces that I have seen of the better Justice League cartoons. So, yeah, I agree with you here. I can see how they could do some pretty interesting things with him, including eventually showing him on screen handing off the role to a younger actor down the line.

When it comes to live action actors Michael Keaton is still the gold standard IMO

Michael Keaton in Christopher Nolan's films would have been amazing, IMO.

He was short changed by the cartoonish nature of those Tim Burton films, IMO.

He was nothing short of fantastic in Spider-Man.

So Affleck himself announced at Comic Con yesterday he's not going anywhere. Awesome!






"Let me be very clear: I am the luckiest guy in the world," Affleck told the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. "Batman is the coolest part in any universe — DC, Marvel. It's incredible. ... I'm so thrilled to do it."

"I know there was a misconception that because I didn't direct it that I wasn't enthusiastic about it. [But] it's f***ing amazing," he said. "And I still can't believe I've done two films and have this great history with this studio."

"I would be an ape on the ground for Matt Reeves -- nevermind being Batman," Affleck told the crowd. "So I'm really blown away and excited, and it's a great time in the DC Universe."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn...man/index.html

Affleck was in Suicide Squad as well.

I don't get this. An ape on the ground? Is that some sort of Hollywood lingo?

Matt Reeves directed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the current War for the Planet of the Apes films.

Reeves is writing and directing the latest stand alone Batman film.

One thing that has bothered me in Superman V Batman is the casting of Lex Luthor. Reasoning is that the made Lex really young however Batman Bruce Wayne is rather old so there is a gap in age difference. They portray Lex Luthor as a young aspiring super villain and that's fine if Batman was a younger superhero to be.


I wish I never watched Superman V Batman I hate it more every time I think about it.


I got so many issues with that stupid movie. Good riddance Ben Affleck

Affleck's going nowhere

Agreed. I think the old-school jokes of Affleck are affecting the ability to take his performance at face value. The dude has churned out success after success (I haven't really been able to pay much attention to The Accountant, but that's a different debate). He's on a different level, and those unable to take it at face value are missing out on a potentially great portrayal.

WB NEEDS Afleck, not the other way around.

Don't get the Affleck hate. BvS theater version wasn't good and cut poorly. Ultimate edition is much better but still a bloated movie. Affleck was my main highlight as Batman

I'm in the minority on social media but I really enjoyed Batman v. Super man UE.

Wonder Woman steals the show but I think Affleck was great as Batman.

WB/DC should just call up Keaton. Everyone over 30yrs old would shit their pants

Yes, I agree. I def liked UE much better. WW was alot of fun...wife enjoyed it as well. I'm hoping the rest are close. I def like Affleck as Batman and hope he sticks.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">‘The Batman’ To Fly In Summer 2021; Ben Affleck Passes The Torch To Next Generation Of Bruce Wayne <a href="https://t.co/pp1OLrteWA">https://t.co/pp1OLrteWA</a> <a href="https://t.co/aq4XZBfURU">pic.twitter.com/aq4XZBfURU</a></p>&mdash; Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) <a href="https://twitter.com/DEADLINE/status/1090770532511797249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

This bums me out. I really thought he was a great comic book Batman that we've seen on screen. I'm sure Matt Reeves will do great with the new film. The DCEU is dead.

I assume a future JL movie won't happen and will there be another Man Of Steel?

IMO this is outstanding news. I loved Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes sequels and think he'll do an outstanding job with the Batman franchise . Read an article saying its being described as more "noir" Batman where he is more of a detective so that's definitely interesting.

also as far as Affleck being recast , thank god. Its time to give the role to a younger/much hungrier actor.

This has me real intrigued. I'm a huge fan of noir and Reeves' PotA trilogy. It would certainly be a more interesting direction to take The Batman. I'd like to see him be "the world's greatest detective" solving a series of horrific murders committed by Victor Zsasz. That could be ****ing sweet if he can nail the thriller side more than the action side. It would also be a villain less people are familiar with.

He was a good Batman, problem is they would have to reboot the character eventually because of what age they brought Affleck to play Bruce Wayne in as, he would've only had a limited time with the character then you would've been having a Hugh Jackman/Wolverine the last five years scenario with him. They also made him look completely weak, old, and breaking down in Justice League which didn't help his character either.

Blame that second part on Joss Whedons shit. He definitely was older more battle worn. Similar to The Dark Knight returns.

I think Reeves will do great...I'm excited yet bummed because JL was watered down and the casting of these characters was good. So far now it's Aquaman and Wonder Woman left. Think they redo everyone else and stick to individual movies

Gimme John Krasinski or Adam Driver or Jon Hamm if we're gonna go with an older BW/Bats.

I can't respect anyone with a full back tattoo as Batman.

I love John Krasinski, but it's really hard for me to picture Jim Halpert as Batman.

LOL I gotcha...but then I watched A Quiet Place and I was like yeah he could pull it off.

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor is way worse than Affleck as Batman.

Still waiting until they make a standalone movie about Lex Luthor and recast it.

Just call it LUTHOR. Show him growing up, how he becomes a monster. Do it Breaking Bad style. Smallville tried - but it could be done way better.

That was a damn good movie. He was also good in 13 Hours. Which was also pretty good.

The Affleck Batman looked stupid anyway. Looked like a middle-aged dad-bod who ate too many Donuts before stuffing into his bat suit.

Dad bod?

Do you look like this?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9c/ea...311698eb56.jpg

ROFL

That's Affleck's head on the Rock's body....genius.

I think Armie Hammer could pull it off

He looks just fine in the Batman movies physically. I think people are just suffering from exhaustion of seeing Ben Affleck in stuff. Kind of like what happened to Tom Cruise

I love the MI movies

My problem and solely my opinion. The only good Batman outside of JL animated series is the old man Batman. Bring on Terry McGinnis Batman and a elderly Bruce Wayne.

Batman beyond would be dope. I also thought lex Devon smallville was perfect even if t was a teenager type show

Batman Beyond is just Ironman. I mean if you are going to have a metal suit that does everything for you, it's not exactly Batman anymore.

The thing about Batman is, I think pretty much anyone could pull it off because it's more about the attitude than the physicality. I mean, hell, the first Batman was Michael Keaton and everyone thought that was horrible casting and a joke, and he turned out to be pretty good. We've had Val Kilmer and George Clooney and Christian Bale and Ben Affleck. At this point I'm pretty sure anyone could do it as long as they're not fat or over 55.

I guess what they want to ask themselves is: are we hiring an actor who we think could be a good Batman, or are we hiring someone famous just to be Batman? The Keaton hire was not popular. When Bale was hired, no one really knew him. But Clooney and Kilmer were hired because of their names and we see how well that went. So I don't care if they hire a relative unknown or low-level actor; I'd rather someone who's good for the role than someone who's famous.

Armie Hammer. The more I think about it, the more I think he could kill the role.

Bateman Beyond would likely need some futuristic elements to make it work.

I didn't think I would but to me the best parts of the DCEU were Affleck and what's his name as Aquaman.

And I know people are sick and tired of Nolan's style but his Batman flicks were light years better than anything DC has done lately. Hell, perhaps the best super hero flick of all time...

efff yeah!!!!!!