Matt Reeves And Ben Affleck Said To Have Very Different Visions For The Batman

The DCEU is turning out to be a fascinating experiment in what happens when a cinematic universe fails to gain that Marvel momentum yet pushes on regardless. The commercially underwhelming Justice League in particular feels like the moment where the chickens came home to roost, and the consequences continue to be felt in the rocky journey that The Batman is taking to theaters.

Comic Book Movie has just published a thorough breakdown of the troubled history of the Caped Crusader’s latest screen incarnation, while offering the update that disagreements between Ben Affleck, Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves could be continuing to hold up the character’s first solo film since The Dark Knight Rises.

Based on the various rumors that have been making the rounds lately, Reeves has a very different vision of what the future holds for one of DC’s most cherished characters. Though Affleck in recent weeks has looked like he might be game for another outing as Bruce Wayne, the War for the Planet of the Apes helmsman is reportedly keen to cast a younger actor in a story that takes place earlier in the timeline. And while Warner has allegedly suggested that Affleck still shows up in bookend sequences, it’s said that Reeves wants no part in this plan, preferring to distance his project as much as possible from the franchise’s shaky past.

Most of these claims have yet to be confirmed, but either way, it will likely be a long wait before The Batman finally reaches cinemas, and when it does, you can expect it to at least serve as a soft reboot for the series. While Marvel’s history of interconnected films has proven advantageous in drawing in crowds for elaborate stories like Avengers: Infinity War, the DCEU’s own back catalogue is proving to be a burden, and with the franchise currently going through a phase of necessary reinvention, you have to wonder where that leaves the old stars like Affleck.