Prior to San Diego Comic-Con, rumors had been swirling that Warner Bros. was looking for a way to “gracefully” usher out Ben Affleck’s version of Batman from the DC Extended Universe. The actor pretty much put that to rest during Warner Bros.' Hall H presentation and he is going to play the part as long as the studio wants him to. If this new rumor is to be believed, it sounds like Warner Bros. wants awhole lot of Batfleck in the future DCEU.
According to a recent report fromComicBookMovie.com, Ben Affleck has officially signed on to play the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves' proposed solo movie trilogy that will kick off withThe Batman. Not only that, but they also want him to play an older Bruce Wayne in a futureBatman Beyondmovie, which is something that fans have been craving for a very long time. Here’s what their report had to say about it.
“According to a Warner Bros. sourceBen Affleckhas signed on to appear as the Batman in Matt Reeves Trilogy. Affleck will play the Dark Knight for three more films, with the last leading into a Batman Beyond film, which will also lead to the next phase of the DC Extended Universe.”
Since they didn’t name a specific source and since this is coming from a site that isn’t necessarily known for breaking this kind of news, this should be regarded as a rumor and nothing more for the time being. That said, if this turns out to be true, there is an awful lot to unpack here. Not only that, but given Ben Affleck’s recent comments, this isn’t actually all that hard to believe.
Starting with theBatmanmovie trilogy. Why would Warner Bros. want to switch out actors in the middle of a trilogy if things are working and if Ben Affleck is into it? Matt Reeves may not stay on to direct all threeBatman movies, but he is at least doingThe Batmanand will get thingsmoving in the right direction. Granted, Affleck is going to be pushing 50 by the time thatThe Batmanhits theaters, but that could work in favor of this alleged plan.
If they really are leading up to aBatman Beyondmovie, which takes place in the year 2040 and sees Terry McGinnis take up the mantle of Batman from an aging Bruce Wayne, Ben Affleck’s age could play into this perfectly. Then he could possibly hand off the torch to a new actor who would be the Terry McGinnis version ofBatman in future DCEU movies. This could wind up being a great plan, if executed correctly. That is a big if, not to mention that this report may not ultimately be true. Or at least not all of it. But the prospect of aBatman Beyondmovie, as far away as it may be, is something that will definitely get DC fans excited.