It’s no secret that Warner Bros. is planning to expand Ben Affleck’s role in its DC Cinematic Universe after the actor’s grizzled, older take on the Caped Crusader is introduced in next year’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but a new report from Latino-Review suggests that the Oscar winner may also be stepping behind the camera for his Dark Knight’s first standalone pic.
Rumored to still be titled The Batman, the pic will continue to build on the character introduced in Dawn of Justice. Though Latino-Review specializes in working the rumor mill, the site does provide a couple of details that seem logical.
For one, Oscar-winning scribe Chris Terrio (for Argo, which Affleck directed), who wrote Dawn of Justice and has been announced as the writer for both Justice League movies, is apparently working on the screenplay for The Batman as well. Given that he’s responsible for introducing Affleck’s Caped Crusader, it makes a lot of sense that WB and DC would want him to personally shape the character’s solo narrative.
Additionally, the report says that The Batman is aiming for a November 2018 date. What’s significant about that is that WB and DC got pretty roundly creamed by Marvel in the release date smackdown between Dawn of Justice and next year’s Captain America: Civil War, eventually moving the tentpole out of May and up to March.
By plotting The Batman for that month, execs could be pitting it against Marvel’s Captain Marvel, less of a sure-thing pic than the jam-packed sequel Civil War was. This could be where WB and DC go head-to-head with Marvel and come out on top, seeing as The Batman will work from a well-established character who has already appeared in a (presumed) blockbuster hit, whereas Captain Marvel will have to introduce a more far-out character to the MCU.
Regardless of how this rumor shakes out, it would be a thrill to see the writer-director team behind Argo get back together for a superhero movie. The Batman could definitely benefit from their ability to build blistering tension, and with Affleck also starring in the pic, it would make a lot of sense to let him carry out his specific vision for the character.