Ben Affleck's Batman is one of the most universally praised aspects of the DC movies. It's a refreshing take on the character, it takes cues from some of the best Batman comics, and he's just a damn good actor. Whether you love or absolutely hate it, he's the one thing many people can agree is good about the DC movies. People were really looking forward to him directing the solo Batman film titled 'The Batman' but after months of saying he'll do it if the script is good, he dropped out.
Warner Bros. was quick to begin negotiations with a new director, but it was a painful punch in the gut for fans as it means we won't see a Ben Affleck-directed Batman film and the script was (at the time) pretty terrible. To add more fuel to the fire, it sounds like Ben Affleck wants to bounce out of the DC movies altogether. He doesn't even want to play Batman anymore, which obviously shows how conscious he is of the critical reception these movies are getting.
This rumor come from several reports with sources close to the project, most recently one from John Campea at Collider. Although Campea tells viewers to take the rumor with a grain of salt, he spoke with three different people and they all gave him the same information. On top of that, there are other sites like Forbes reporting similar things.
LET'S BE CLEAR: this ain't a "scoop"
But Campea's got some interesting info regarding Ben Affleck and #TheBatman https://t.co/ZXm47C2cw0 pic.twitter.com/EZY5C6bzeY
— Collider (@Collider) February 13, 2017
The rumor also states that if he does manage to stay on for The Batman, he probably won't stick around after it releases.
It's hard to imagine Affleck would be able to leave even if he wanted to because these superhero movies usually lock you into contracts that bind you to them for a number of years as you churn out sequels. Sometimes actors are able to still get out of it because the studio would probably have someone super passionate and willing to follow commands rather than someone who looks like they have become the angry Bruce Wayne in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Affleck could also potentially buy out his contract, but this is all pure speculation.
Will you continue to see DC movies if Ben Affleck drops out? Who would you cast to replace Ben Affleck's Batman? Let us know in the comments below!
Ben Affleck's next (and possibly final) appearance as Batman will be in Justice League which releases November 17th, 2017.
