The Batman Allegedly Reserved For Jake Gyllenhaal If Affleck Walks; Spinoff Movie Will Be Tethered To DCEU

Another day, another slew of rumors pertaining to The Batman.

In the aftermath of Justice League, the Matt Reeves-directed spinoff has arguably become one of the most hotly-contested DC projects in existence, and Ben Affleck’s wavering commitment has only added fuel to the fire. The Oscar-winner filmmaker still wants to have a crack at his own Batman movie, having vacated the director’s chair for Reeves early last year.

However that may be, there have been suggestions that Affleck’s days donning the cape and cowl are essentially numbered, which has, in turn, spawned rumors that Jake Gyllenhaal (or Jon Hamm, perhaps?) will swoop in and become the ninth incarnation of the Caped Crusader.

Lending weight to those allegations is a new report from Revenge of The Fans (via CBM), which asserts that The Batman has ostensibly been reserved for Gyllenhaal in the event that Affleck walks. And yes, it will be rooted in the DC Extended Universe, despite rumors to the contrary.

This latest tidbit was first uncovered by Mario-Francisco Robles, the site’s co-founder and editor-in-chief, which claims that The Batman is “its own story,” set within the confines of the DCEU.

Not only that, but it goes on to assert that:

Gyllenhaal is probably Batman. Affleck is not out of it yet. That’s the thing, he still has a contract. But the studio is sour on him. If Ben rolls, Jake is in. Kind of a weird web. These guys both know they control each other’s destiny.

The Batman is yet to nail down an official start date, but from what we understand, Matt Reeves has been given full creative license over the Caped Crusader’s upcoming solo mission, indicating that his costumed crusader – regardless of whether it’s Gyllenhaal or Hamm – won’t be ready to take flight until 2020. Stay tuned for more on that one.