Ben Affleck and DC Plotting Stand-Alone ‘Batman’ Film
Ben Affleck has teamed with DC Comics’ chief creative officer Geoff Johns to co-write a stand-alone Batman film. Affleck will reportedly direct and star in the movie, and a script will likely be finished this summer, according to Deadline.
The as-yet-untitled film will focus on Batman following the events of both Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League. Production would begin after Affleck finishes directing the forthcoming crime-drama Live By Night, which is scheduled to hit theaters October 7th, 2016.
Teaming with Johns gives Affleck serious credibility in the comics world. The DC veteran – an executive producer on Batman v Superman – has written for ongoing series like Superman, Green Lantern, Aquaman and The Flash, in addition to superhero TV projects like Smallville, The Flash, Arrow and the upcoming Supergirl.
Given DC and Warner Bros.’ full schedule of new superhero titles, it’s unclear when Affleck’s Batman film will hit theaters. The Zack Snyder-helmed Batman v Superman is out March 25th, 2016, and the director’s Justice League Part 1 is slotted for November 17th, 2017 (with the second planned for 2019).
An official teaser-trailer for Batman v Superman hit the Internet in April, leaking days ahead of a planned IMAX event. The clip introduced Affleck as both Bruce Wayne and Batman, along with glimpses of the new Batmobile and a tease of the showdown between the title superheroes. “Tell me. Do you bleed?” Batman asks the Man of Steel. “You will.” While Jesse Eisenberg doesn’t appear in the clip as chief antagonist Lex Luthor, he does make an ominous voiceover cameo, saying, “We know better now, don’t we? Devils don’t come from hell beneath us… they come from the sky.”