Warner Bros.’ next solo movie for the Caped Crusader has undergone a total overhaul in the time since it was first announced. For ages, Ben Affleck was going to write, direct and star in the project as the Dark Knight, though the actor/filmmaker ultimately dropped out. The screenplay he’d written with Geoff Johns was then thrown out and his replacement Matt Reeves began anew.
As such, Affleck’s involvement or lack thereof has been the source of much speculation lately, but it seems we can now put all that to rest. And that’s because Deadline is reporting tonight that The Batman – or whatever it ends up being called – will release on June 25th, 2021 and unfortunately, Big Ben will not be returning in any capacity, as Reeves shifts his focus to tell a story about a younger Bruce Wayne.
The search for someone to play the role is said to be underway though at the time of writing, no names have emerged as clear frontrunners. Rumors have placed everyone from Kit Harington to Jack O’Connell in the part in the past, but Deadline’s report doesn’t mention either of them.
While there’s still a lot we don’t know about The Batman, it’s nice to finally have some firm confirmation that Affleck is indeed out after so many months of speculation. Not to mention that the 2021 release date is a nice surprise, too, as some had begun to fear that the project would slip into 2022 given the radio silence surrounding it.
From what we’ve been told, the plot will focus on Batman as the World’s Greatest Detective and tell a story about the iconic hero using his smarts to solve crimes. Just what crimes he’ll be solving, we don’t know, but Reeves has previously revealed that there’ll be a full rogues gallery worth of villains for Batsy to face off against. And while the specifics of who’ll be showing up remain unclear, both the Penguin and the Riddler have been rumored recently.
Unfortunately, that’s all we’ve got to go on for now, but it’s clear that the wheels are starting to turn on The Batman and as soon as we learn more, we’ll be sure to let you know.
