Ben Affleck has been a Batman fan for years, so getting to play the Caped Crusader in the DC Extended Universe is understandably a dream come true. However, having proven how talented he is in this business off-camera, the actor is taking his love for the Dark Knight one step further by both co-writing the next solo Batman movie with Geoff Johns and eventually directing it. With 10 live action theatrical films under his utility belt (11 once Justice League comes out), Batman is arguably the most represented cinematic superhero, which is why Ben Affleck is taking every step possible to making sure the story is right.
When asked if he was in "full-on Batman research mode," Affleck told IGN that he's still hard at work on the script, adding that he needs to be 100% confident with the material before taking moving forward. In his words:
Last night I spent (time) working on the script. I'm in full-on 'trying to get it right mode'. It's not the kind of movie that you can fail quietly at. You have to really be sure that I have something that I feel really confident about before we go forward.
After more than a year of rumors and reports, Warner Bros finally confirmed in April that a new Batman movie was in development, given Ben Affleck's iteration of the hero his first opportunity to shine on his own. Nevertheless, Affleck has been trying not to reveal too much on how the movie is progressing. For instance, at the beginning of the month, he revealed that the movie would be called The Batman, but days later, he backtracked on that statement, saying that there "was no Batman movie yet" until the script, budget and other "stuff" could be worked out. One might say this is Affleck's passion project, so he'll take as much time as necessary to see that all the pieces are lined up properly in his story before progressing further.
As it stands now, all that's been officially revealed about The Batman's story is that it will see the eponymous protagonist battling notorious DC Comics mercenary Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello. Jeremy Irons and J.K. Simmons are also expected to reprise Alfred Pennyworth and Commissioner James Gordon, respectively. Unofficially, there have been reports that some of the movie may take place in Arkham Asylum, suggesting we'll see other notable members from Batman's rogues gallery. According to Manganiello, production is scheduled to begin in spring 2017.
The Batman hasn't been assigned an official release date yet, although there are still two unannounced DC movies set for October 6, 2018 and November 1, 2019, and this movie could easily fill either. In the meantime, Ben Affleck's Caped Crusader will return when Justice League hits theaters on November 17, 2017.
