Ben Affleck ‘Batman’ Movie: Will ‘The Batman’ Film That Affleck Is Scheduled To Write, Direct And Star In Actually Happen Or Is The Warner Bros/DC Cinematic Universe Doomed?
Is the Ben Affleck Batman movie in trouble? Affleck performed the role of Batman in Batman v Superman with suitable aplomb – as well as to considerable praise from critics and fans alike. But as reported by Movie Web, there might be trouble brewing on the Batman project, with Affleck saying the script isn’t ready and that he won’t do the project until it is. Since Affleck himself is the main writer, this seems strange.
But if Ben Affleck doesn’t direct the next Batman movie, what does this mean for the Warner Bros./DC Cinematic Universe as a whole? Could it be the final nail in the coffin for this increasingly lackluster franchise?
Director Writer and Star Ben Affleck
Many critics and fans alike have declared that the Ben Affleck Batman may just be the best version of the character we’ve ever seen on screen. Certainly, there was nothing in Ben Affleck’s performance as Batman in Batman v Superman that in any way led to the underwhelming performance of that film.
In fact, Batman wouldn’t be getting made this quickly if it weren’t for the performance of Ben Affleck in the last film. It was this performance of Affleck as Gotham’s Dark Knight that convinced the studio to push the production of a solo Batman film forward, instead of waiting until after the second of the Justice League films.
Affleck was selected not only to star in the first Batman film of the newly rebooted DC Universe at Warner Bros., he was selected to write and direct it as well. This was actually quite a coup for the studio, since Affleck – in addition to being a well-respected actor – is one of the hottest directors in Hollywood, having received an Academy Award for Argo.
Ben Affleck Batman Problems
According to Batman News, Affleck was only weeks ago saying things were going great for the new Batman film. But his recent comments that the script is not yet ready don’t bode well for the project. The Batman – as it is officially titled – is supposed to be released in early 2018. This would mean the project would have to begin filming fairly soon if it is going to make that date.
It should also be noted that if Affleck decides he doesn’t want to move forward with directing the Batman project, it’s highly unlikely that he would continue as the writer on the film either. In fact, it’s conceivable that he might drop out as the star as well. This would be an absolute disaster for Warner Bros. Studio.
While on the surface, Affleck is talking about script problems, it could easily be that he’s actually having issues with the studio itself. Many insiders have suggested that there are too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to DC movies and that this may have impacted the quality and box office results for both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad.
While at Marvel, Kevin Feige is pretty much the czar of Marvel films and decides the overall direction of the franchise, there doesn’t really seem to be this kind of leadership at Warner Bros. for the DC films. A few months ago Warner Bros. attempted to suggest that Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns would serve this role, it may be that this is only window-dressing and that behind-the-scenes infighting is still going on.
Given the fact that both Batman v Superman and suicide squad failed to impress the critics and that neither film pass the $1 billion mark, it’s safe to say that the DC Cinematic Universe has gotten off to a shaky start. The studio seems to be frequently interfering with the directors, the directors themselves are coming and going with great regularity and the schedule of films is constantly being reshuffled. So it’s questionable whether the DC Cinematic Universe would be able to survive the loss of the Ben Affleck Batman film.
[Featured Image by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
