I’ll be honest in saying that while I absolutely love Ben Affleck in the role of Batman, I must be a realist when it comes to the future of the Caped Crusader in cinema. With his first major effort in cape and cowl – Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – having been not as well received amongst critics and general moviegoers, that undoubtedly led to Justice League bombing at the box office – even if that received more positive buzz from those who saw it.
As such, it’s caused many pundits to speculate if indeed there’s a dark cloud cast over some of the major players in the DC Extended Universe, barring Gal Gadot, of course. In other words, it’s very possible that whenever anyone sees a trailer for a DC flick, there exists the chance that they’ll identify certain actors as “that guy from Batman V Superman.”
Perhaps taking this into account, it could be one of many factors leading director Matt Reeves to possibly recast the Dark Knight for his upcoming film, tentatively titled The Batman. And, quite frankly, I could see him doing it so that he’s able to start with a clean slate, thus allowing the sky to be the limit when it comes to box office take.
Believe it or not, one notable actor who’s expressed desire is Jon Hamm, someone whom many fans have supported for some time now. Personally, I’d be all for it if Reeves intends on continuing to give us a Masked Manhunter who’s been in the game for 20 years or so. But if he were to go the prequel or reboot route, it’s probably for the best that he find someone in their early to mid-thirties.
Regardless of whatever may happen, fan artist Bryan Zap has allowed us to peer into a future where Hamm has landed the Batman role. In this case, it looks like he’s raised the ears on Affleck’s cowl from Justice League a wee bit, while also utilizing the costume from the Arkham Asylum video game. Needless to say, it looks pretty awesome, don’t you think?