Matt Reeves Submits Batman Script and Ben Affleck is Out? Who’s Next?

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Though we’re still living large in the cosmically lucrative shadow of Avengers: Infinity War, we would do well to remember that Gotham city never sleeps.  The latest bit of news to spill into public forum is that director Matt Reeves has just submitted the first draft of his script for his yet-to-be-titled solo Batman movie and that, based on the little that we know, will focus on a younger iteration of the Dark Knight.  While nothing concrete has been issued with regard to casting, this doesn’t bode favorably for the current Batman, Ben Affleck.

In case you haven’t been keeping count, Affleck has now appeared in three films to-date donning the cape and cowl: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and last year’s Justice League.  Suffice to say, fan and critical reception for all three entries into the DC canon has been mixed, to say the least.  While all three films managed to turn a profit for Warner Bros., criticism of both writing and stylistic tone regarding the characters themselves has been a consistent thread in DC’s cinematic universe ever since the release of Man of Steel in 2013.

Rumors have persisted since Justice League’s tepid box office performance that Affleck was hesistant about returning to the role and, quite frankly, the relative silence from both Affleck’s camp and the studio have only lent more credence to the possibility that the 45 year old actor is ready to move on from Wayne manor.

If you’re feeling mixed emotions about this, I don’t blame you.  Matt Reeves is an outstanding director whose star is currently on the up and up.  With stalwart entries in the Planet of the Apes trilogy and the still-great monster parade Cloverfield, Reeves has demonstrated his ability to take both the macabre and the absurd and ground it inside something very human and lend it very real stakes.  The idea of a detective-focused Batman feature with Reeves behind the lens is something that would draw in even the most passive fan boy.

Simultaneously, Affleck’s turn as Batman has been one of the relative bright spots in the current run of DC fare.  The hulking, dark and violent nature “Batfleck” traded on in Batman v Superman seemed to be pulled directly from the pages of Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.  Affleck not only looked like Bruce Wayne smirking over the rim of a champagne glass, he also brought a physical prowess to the role that made you believe Batman was capable of smashing through walls and crushing bones with relative ease.  Affleck may never hold the popular vote the way that Christian Bale did when he played Batman in all his gritty, IMAX-ified intensity, but he gets my vote as coming the closest yet to bringing the comic book version of the character to life.

Unsurprisingly, however, Warner Bros. is in a constant state of change while trying to make up any and all ground in their chase of Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut.  It was only a matter of time before attrition of some kind was going to force turnover amongst the key cast members.  As of now, Henry Cavill and (especially) Gal Gadot seem secure in their roles as Superman and Wonder Woman, respectively (and honestly, why shouldn’t they?).

That said, if Affleck is indeed hanging up the cape, who should be next up?

As history has shown, getting Batman right is much easier said than done.  It seemed like, in the blink of an eye, we went from a grim, glowering Michael Keaton to bat-nipples and soundtrack plugs from The Offspring and U2.  Christopher Nolan, among his litany of achievements, showed us that Batman can and should be taken seriously.  The mythology of the character itself demands a level of respect and adoration that Marvel has so blithely shown to the likes of Iron Man and Thor.  I guess what I’m saying is, you don’t just plug a warm body into a motion capture suit, turn on the rain machine and say “here’s darkness/the night, that’ll be $12.50, please” (looking at you Steppenwolf).  No, Batman is much bigger than that and you either get it right or face the nuclear fire that is the internet.

Personally, Armie Hammer has been a name thrown around that makes some degree of sense to me.  The same goes for Liam Hemsworth, both of whom are young, have the physical build to add the necessary muscle and haven’t yet been typecast or defined by any one role.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what I or anyone else says, as this is all just speculation and, until we are told otherwise, Ben Affleck remains in the Batcave.  All we can hope for is that Matt Reeves is putting his best material forward and that he and the studio do what’s best for the character.  Until then, we’re all just standing by.