Matt Reeves reveals more about Ben Affleck's "James Bond-ian" Batman script

Ben Affleck as Batman in Zack Snyder's Justice League — (Image credit: Warner Bros./HBO Max)

The Batman director Matt Reeves has revealed more details about Ben Affleck's scrapped script.

Before Reeves boarded the project, the solo Batman movie would have been written and directed by Affleck, who was also set to star. Plans changed, and the film eventually became The Batman, with Robert Pattinson playing the titular vigilante.

"I read a script that they had that was a totally valid take on the movie," Reeves told Esquire of Affleck's script. "It was very action driven. It was very deeply connected to the DCEU, with other major characters from other movies and other comics popping up. I just knew that when I read it this particular script was not the way I'd want to do it."

He added: "I said look, I think maybe I'm not the person for this. And I explained to them why I love this character. I told them that there have been so many great movies, but if I were to do this, I'd have to make it personal, so that I understood what I was going to do with it, so that I know where to put the camera, so that I know what to tell the actors, so that I know what the story should be. This take, I told them, pointing at the script, is a totally valid and exciting take. It is almost James Bond-ian, but it wasn't something that I quite related to."

Affleck's Batman movie would have featured Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke as the main villain, and was also set to include Batgirl.

The Batman, meanwhile, is shaping up to be a dark detective story that will see the Caped Crusader go up against Paul Dano's sinister Riddler. There are already two spin-off TV shows in the works – one a prequel about corruption in the Gotham City Police Department, and another focusing on Colin Farrell's Penguin.

Reeves' film arrives this March 4. In the meantime, check out our guide to all of 2022's major movie release dates to start planning those theater trips.

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.