When Ben Affleck announced (after much kerfuffle in the wings) that he would not be directing The Batman, the studio scrambled to put out good news. When talk of extensive rewrites went around, a source immediately came forward to say the script was finished and both Affleck and the studio were happy with it. Then Warner quickly lined up a new director — Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) — while reportedly keeping Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez around for backup. It must be nice to just have Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez on speed dial, you know, for whenever.
But whenever there’s good DCEU news, somebody has to drag out some bad news to counter it, and that’s where the newest rumor comes in. Collider Movie Talk host John Campea says three different sources have told him Ben Affleck doesn’t want to be Batman anymore. (Dude. Always be Batman.)
“Take this for what it’s worth. This is from a guy who has been burned twice by scoops, so please take this with a massive, massive grain of salt. Over the past four days, I’ve talked to three separate people, who are connected in some way, to what is going on over at Warner Bros. What all three have told me, nothing about whether the script was thrown out or whether they liked the script, nothing about the direction that Matt Reeves is taking it in, nothing about that. What has come out of the conversation with all three was this. They’re telling me that, Ben Affleck, make no mistake, he does want out. He doesn’t want to be Batman anymore. I have been told that Affleck is talking with Warner Bros. in an attempt to get out of being Batman. If they do not let him out of being Batman, that the stand alone Batman film that ultimately happens, will be the last time we see Affleck as Batman, because he apparently wants out.” (Via)
Batfleck was one of the more acceptable parts of Batman V Superman, so this makes me a Sad Batman.
Here’s the source of the rumor, starting at the 17:41 mark:
(Via ColliderVideos, MovieWeb, Screen Rant, Variety, and THR)
