So let’s get one thing straight before we begin here, while this is big news, even the source says that what he heard should be taken with a grain of salt, so we should not count this as a definite, confirmed story just yet. However, it would line up with the current trajectory of how things have been playing out. Anyways, the latest rumor about ‘The Batman’ film and Ben Affleck’s involvement comes to us from John Campea over at Collider, who during the latest episode of ‘Collider Movie Talk’ stated that he heard the following from three separate sources involved with Warner Bros over the past four days:
“Ben Affleck, make no mistake, he wants out. He doesn’t want to be Batman anymore.”
He followed up that statement by claiming that Affleck is trying to get out of playing the character entirely, even in ‘The Batman’ film, but if he cannot figure it out it in time, the solo Batman adventure will be the last time he will don the cape and cowl for the DCEU.
So again, this is still in the rumor category, as even Campea points out that his sources are not entirely reliable at this point, but it certainly makes sense. Affleck was already showing signs of losing faith in the DCEU, having dropped out of directing ‘The Batman,’ and then slowly removing himself from other aspects of the film, like the writing portions. And honestly, it is hard to blame the man, especially if he has inside sources showing him how things are going with the DCEU and he does not like how it is all shaking up. It certainly does not give me any confidence for the upcoming ‘Justice League’ and Wonder Woman’ films if Affleck is trying to get out of dodge before those films even land.
We all sensed his biggest fear heading into playing Batman was another ‘Daredevil’ debacle, and while his turn as the caped crusader has not been bad, there are some who are pointing the finger for the poor performance (rather unfairly I think) of ‘Batman V Superman’ at Affleck’s interpretation of the character, and I do not think the man needs to deal with that kind of nonsense at this point in his career, not when he is still making amazing films on his own.
What do you think of the rumors of Affleck’s departure from the DCEU? If he does leave the role of Batman, will the DCEU be able to recover? Do you think his stepping down could have something to do with Warner Bros continued support of Zack Snyder and how he is shaping this universe, something that perhaps Affleck thought would change after the flop of ‘Batman V Superman’ when he jumped at the chance to direct ‘The Batman?’ Share your thoughts on the current situation in the comments below!
Nick is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles, who belongs to the privileged few who enjoyed the ending to ‘Lost.’ For more of Nick’s thoughts and articles, follow him on Twitter.
