Ben Affleck as Batman (or "Batfleck," as I still like to call him) was one of the highlights of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and fans were excited when it seemed like he would write and direct the solo Batman movie, simply titled "The Batman". But if a Hollywood Reporter source is right, dear Batfleck may hang up the cowl sooner than expected.
The outlet's report claims that Warner Bros. is working out a way to 'gracefully' usher Affleck out of the role, which will address the change of actor in-universe.
Now, it should be noted that Warner film studio chief Toby Emmerich told THR that the studio wants "to keep [Affleck] in the cowl as long as we can," and Matt Reeves, who was tapped to be the new director of The Batman, also said that he intends to keep Affleck as Gotham's Dark Knight. So there's a bit of 'he said, she said' going on here. Best to take this report with a grain of Bat-salt.
Still, I hate to say it, but it makes a certain amount of sense. With Affleck stepping away from the director's chair on The Batman, his script being tossed, and the star reportedly none too keen on how poorly Dawn of Justice was received, he probably doesn't feel a great deal of attachment to the role. But that's just me speculating. What do you think? Should Affleck stay on as Batman or would you rather see someone else clad in black?
