The era of Batfleck is drawing to a close, folks.
Amid conflicting reports and online rumors pertaining to The Batman, Mark Hughes of Forbes brings word today that Ben Affleck’s DC career is more or less over, with Matt Reeves casting the net in search of his own Bruce Wayne.
He’ll apparently be about 20 years younger than Big Ben’s version, which makes sense when you consider that Reeves is angling his project to be the beginning of a whole new Batman trilogy. Not to mention all the talk about how The Batman could share something in common with Joker (an ’80s setting, perhaps?), Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix’s origin film that’s slated for a fall 2019 release.
Whatever the case, Hughes took to Twitter earlier today to share the following, essentially telling fans that Affleck’s time in the cape and cowl is at its end.
Affleck’s not playing Batman in the film & it’s unlikely he’ll appear as Batman again. He’s been on his way out of the DCEU for quite a long while now, and fans need to prepare themselves for a Batman future without him.
Of course, until Ben, or the studio, comments on his future in the franchise – or lack thereof – we can go ahead and file this one in the rumor cabinet for the time being. After all, we’ve heard more back and forth on this situation than we care to keep track of, with seemingly every week bringing with it a new report stating that Ben’s either still committed to the Caped Crusader or that he’s looking to walk.
Then again, Hughes is a pretty reliable source and is often right on point with his intel, so we’re inclined to believe what he’s saying. Plus, there’s also the fact that Matt Reeves has been given full creative license over the Dark Knight’s upcoming solo mission, meaning that a recast is very likely in order.
Regardless, we’ll be sure to keep you posted as more developments on The Batman arise.
