Is Justice League really about to become Ben Affleck’s last hurrah in the DC Extended Universe? Sources close to The Hollywood Reporter certainly think so.
As part of the outlet’s revelation that Warner Bros. is targeting Leonardo DiCaprio for The Joker – much to the dismay of Jared Leto (Suicide Squad 2), who is said to be a bit miffed about the idea of multiple versions of the DC mega-villain existing at once – THR noted that Warner is gunning for “non-traditional takes on the heroes and villains of DC.” That aligns with previous reports about The Joker and how it’ll seemingly launch a series of “auteur-driven” comic book movies not unlike Christopher Nolan’s revered Dark Knight Trilogy.
And don’t worry; that sub-franchise will be placed on a separate track to that of the DC Extended Universe, which is currently busy preparing for the launch of Justice League and, to a lesser extent, The Batman. But it’s fair to say that the latter project has been shrouded in mystery ever since its tentative announcement.
After some deliberation, we do know Matt Reeves has signed on to direct the Caped Crusader’s next solo mission, one set in the DCEU. However, THR’s latest report presents more evidence that Reeves is about to replace Ben Affleck as Gotham’s Dark Knight.
It was actually Ben’s younger brother, Casey Affleck, who sparked concern two weeks ago by claiming that The Batman is about to recast its title role. He later retracted those comments, saying they were made in jest, but there’s still a general feeling of uncertainty looming over the DC solo movie.
Adding fuel to that fire today is The Hollywood Reporter, which notes that, “director Matt Reeves is developing a Batman stand alone that, according to sources, will not star Ben Affleck, who plays the caped crusader in the DC Universe movies.”
With War For the Planet of the Apes in his rearview mirror, Matt Reeves and Co. can now begin focusing on The Batman ahead of its alleged production start in early 2018. But what’s your reaction to these latest allegations? You can, as always, drop your thoughts in the usual place.