Ben Affleck is still, albeit tentatively, set to star in War For The Planet Of The Apes helmer Matt Reeves’s currently developing trilogy starter, The Batman, as Warner Bros. continues plotting ahead with its expected production slate, including the forthcoming production of New Line Cinema’s Shazam. That being said, the future of Warner Bros. and its DC adaptations regarding all things Batman after this November’s release of Justice League is reportedly an unclear one.
As THR writes, Reeves and the studio both hope to keep the 45 year-old actor in the cape and cowl for as long as they can. However, it appears the studio is also working out its endgame for Affleck as production on The Batman approaches considering factors such as his age and physical upkeep. Warner Bros. is minding the issue from several angles like the importance for having younger stars much like the transition of Tom Holland this Summer in Spider-Man: Homecoming, for which its director is also in talks to return to helm.
The studio is now researching the source material to try and apply a respectable departure of Affleck from the role, sifting through several story arcs, one of which includes “Batman Beyond” for which its 1999 animated series centers on troubled teen Terry McGinnis and his transition to a futuristic iteration of the crimefighter with an aged Bruce Wayne guiding him. The report suggests fans won’t go for a Bruce Wayne-less Batman movie but I’m on social media a lot and anyone who has ever seen the Beyond costume in some conceptualized fashion has always ever expressed approval of seeing it in a film of some kind, so, I call BS.
With last year’s performance in the double-billed Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Affleck is the seventh actor to don the costume in some capacity since the 1966 debut of Adam West who passed away on June 9 this year at the age of 88. Reeves is currently working on a new script replacing Affleck’s own draft entirely.
The studio previously announced development of projects such as a Suicide Squad sequel in addition to Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing and Batgirl movies.