Matt Reeves has been hard at work on putting together his version ofThe Batmanever since Ben Affleck stepped down as the director. It’s been slow moving, but he’s reportedly turned in the first draft of his screenplay, or at least part of it anyway, as he’s said to have turned in the “first act” of his screenplay during the Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, it centers on a young caped crusader, as opposed to Affleck’s more grizzled, older version.
For well over a year now, it’s been a total coin flip when it comes to whether or not Ben Affleck will play the part again following his turn as the Dark Knight inJustice League, which wound up being a huge disappointment. Some recent rumors claim he wants to stick around, but it sounds like Warner Bros. may be ready to move on from his take. Assuming Matt Reeves' version ofThe Batmanreally does center on a younger version of the character, he’s definitely going to have to be recast anyway.
This news comes as part of a larger, sprawling report that covers the future of the DC universe on screen. Walter Hamada took over as president of DC Films in January and, ever since, he’s been combing through all of the various projects that are in development. He’s been scrapping some, prioritizing others and looking at new projects that may be ripe for the picking. It’s no secret that the DCEU was a bit of a mess and someone needed to come in and sort that out. Maybe that means finally gettingThe Batmangoing. This version of the DC universe kicked off in 2013 withMan of Steeland, somehow, a solo Batman movie has yet to go into production.
Assuming Matt Reeves' take onThe Batmanlooks at a younger version of Bruce Wayne, that’s going to change a lot. It almost certainly means Deathstroke won’t be the villain, Jeremy Irons probably won’t be Alfred and almost any other rumor we’ve heard probably has no credibility to it. But let’s not forget that Andy Serkis, who worked with Reeves on the last twoPlanet of the Apesmovies, is interested in being in the movie. Pick up the phone, Warner Bros.
This report also confirms thatThe Flashwill finally go into production early next year, theJokerorigin movie outside of the DCEU will shoot this fall with Joaquin Phoenix set to star and the Jared LetoJokermovie is still in development as well. For now,The Batmanstill has no timetable for production or a release date. But it’s said that Walter Hamada doesn’t want to pre-announce release dates for specific titles moving forward, as that has bitten them in the past. Also, it’s well worth noting that the AT&T merger of Time Warner was recently approved, meaning that the massive telecom company now owns Warner Bros. So, even though the studio is still going to operate more or less as they have been, DC Entertainment does have a new owner. This news comes to us courtesy ofThe Hollywood Reporter.
