Will he or won’t he? That’s been the question in regards to Ben Affleck’s return as Batman. The writing has been on the wall that he was out since last summer, but Warner Bros. hasn’t made anything official. We’ve seen rumors on both sides of the issue, but in virtually every scenario Matt Reeves’ The Batman would cast someone new as the Caped Crusader. In the latest update that appears to have been confirmed finally, once and for all.
THR has the news, stating that Reeves turned in a fresh script for The Batman over the Memorial Day weekend. It features a younger Batman, not the old, grizzled veteran Affleck played in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League.
There are still a lot of questions surrounding this film and Affleck’s future in the DCEU. Just because Reeves’ movie has a younger Batman doesn’t mean it’s separate from the main continuity, although that is likely to be the case. And recasting the role for The Batman wouldn’t necessarily stop Affleck from suiting up for a Justice League sequel, Suicide Squad 2, or perhaps the recently-announced Joker movie with Jared Leto. If Reeves’ film is truly a standalone in a totally separate universe then Affleck sticking around elsewhere would make sense.
Ultimately, this news takes us right back to where we started, doesn’t it? So I guess the thing to look out for now are casting rumors for The Batman? Perhaps we can expect some kind of announcement next month at Comic-Con? One thing we know for sure is that it won’t be Jake Gyllenhaal.
