Ben Affleck No Longer Directing 'The Batman'

​Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   The DC Cinematic Universe is one of the most divisive things amongst comic-book movie fans right now. It started back in 2013 with Man of Steel, which I still believe is a truly fantastic movie, but admittedly many people did not take to it. That division streak continued last year with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad not being as well received as hoped. From what we’ve seen so far, Warner Bros. is really struggling with their DC properties. However, this year Wonder Woman looks incredible, and I’m really excited for Justice League. Those two films could really turn things around! Or could they? There’s a lot of drama going on behind the scenes at DC that could be the causes of a lot of these issues. What might be the biggest individual piece of bad news to come out of the DC universe just broke this past week, Ben Affleck will no longer be directing The Batman.

​   For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with what’s going on here, to sum it up, DC is having major issues. A few years back, DC announced a slew of movies they were going to be making and when said films would be released. One thing led to another, and now that schedule is sort of falling apart. First off there’s the Flash movie that was supposed to be released in March 2018 has lost two directors, and is currently undergoing a complete script rewrite. It's probably not going to make that release date. In addition to that, there’s the delay of Justice League 2, and they’ve also thrown both a Black Adam and a Gotham City Sirens movie in there somewhere. Aside from the films coming out this year, James Wan's Aquaman is the only DC film that seems to actually be going well, thankfully.
   For just over a month now there has been talk of trouble with The Batman, the solo Batman flick that was supposed to be directed by Ben Affleck. Things were going well, Joe Manganiello was cast as Deathstroke, and people were excited. Until a few months back there were rumblings about the script not being very good. Then, on top of that, Affleck started playing coy about whether or not he would do it. That was, at least, until a couple weeks ago on Jimmy Kimmel where he came out and actually said he was going to direct it. That put a lot of fans at ease. Well, there goes that. As of a couple days ago, Ben Affleck is officially not directing The Batman. Affleck is still remaining on the project as a producer and star. He had this to say about his departure from the director’s chair.

    “Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world.”

   While this is still really disappointing, that was a great statement for Affleck to release.  It’s reassuring that the project is still going to happen, and it shows that Affleck is still really committed to it. Plus, it does make a little bit of sense. That doesn’t mean that this is a good thing, though. It’s still a really big bummer that Affleck won’t direct, as he is arguably a better director than he is an actor.
   As for who will step in to take Affleck’s place as director, that’s still up in the air. There was a rumored shortlist that appeared a couple days ago that includes names such as Matt Reeves, Denis Villeneuve, and Gavin O’Connor. Hopefully, WB can get a really good director onto this project soon to help save their fans’ enthusiasm for it. Personally, I think Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, War of the Planet of the Apes) would be a great choice, however seeing The Batman directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Arrival) would be really interesting, though let's see what he does with Blade Runner 2049 first. We’ll just have to wait and see. 

​   So what are your thoughts on Ben Affleck’s departure as the director of The Batman? Who would you like to see direct? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this article, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!
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