One glance into the We Got This Covered archives really sums up the admittedly frustrating early lifecycle of The Batman – and Ben Affleck’s passion project is still yet to enter development in earnest. From conflicting reports surrounding the film’s production timeline to worrying comments made by Affleck himself, the hullabaloo has sparked a ‘will he, won’t he?’ debate online, much of which can be attributed to the level of hype and excitement generated by Ben Affleck’s interest in writing, directing and headlining the Caped Crusader’s next solo outing.
Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote Live By Night, the writer-director was once again pressed about the status of The Batman, leading him to cut through the noise and state: “I’m gonna direct the next Batman, we’re working on it.” A clearly animated Affleck then touched on his own frustration, echoing previous comments made about the gestating screenplay. The Batman will only enter production when the script is up to snuff, essentially, and despite the constant bombardment of questions, the actor appears to be in no rush to fast-track said solo movie to meet an arbitrary release date.
“It’s one of those things that’s really frustrating because with ‘Live By Night’ it took me a year-and-a-half to write it and get it ready and I worked really hard. It’s just no one gave a s**t. No one was like, ‘WHERE’S ‘LIVE BY NIGHT?’ But with Batman I keep getting the, “WHERE’S THE F**KING BATMAN?” I’m like, “Whoa, I’m working! Give me a second!”
No mention of a filming date on this occasion – the latest report claimed production had been pushed back a few months – but if nothing else, the DC faithful can rest assured that Ben Affleck remains very much committed to the cause.
The Batman is still teetering on the brink of pre-production, and isn’t likely to be with us until late 2018 or possibly 2019. Next up for Ben Affleck is a role in Zack Snyder’s Justice League – a project where he’s also attached as executive producer – which is on course to arrive on November 17 of this year.
