The DC Extended Universe, or DCEU, took another devastating blow when a director -- another director -- departed one of the creative group's pending blockbusters. Only, this one cuts deep. Ben Affleck, who has been the beacon of light and hope for a majority of Batman fans, announced that he no longer will direct the solo Batman movie that Warner Bros. plans to release (on an undisclosed date). For Affleck's reasons why, click here. As to who might replace him, two names already have surfaced.
In their report on Ben Affleck's departure from the planned Batman solo movie, Deadline drops two names that are intriguing, for different reasons. I'm going to start with one that sounds INCREDIBLY unlikely, though it would be a massive coup if Warner and the DCEU somehow were able to lure him over to their universe:
Matt Reeves
Reeves is a genius filmmaker, an incredibly intelligent man who has a deep-rooted passion for genre filmmaking. His talents, so far, have gone into developing the Planet of the Apes universe for 20th Century Fox, with his latest -- War for the Planet of the Apes -- reaching theaters this July. Reeves got his start with Cloverfield, and hasn't expressed interest publicly in jumping into a superhero movie. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't consider it, if offered. Then again, he has fostered a terrific working relationship with Fox, and I'm not sure I'd see him jumping ship to Warner Bros. for a chance to work in a troubled creative environment like the one that's currently swirling around the DCEU.
If Warner and DC can't secure this proven talent, might they try...
Matt Ross
You might not know Matt Ross just yet, but his latest film -- Captain Fantastic -- if earning raves for leading man Viggo Mortensen. Yes, it's a quirky family drama that made the film festival circuit. But one needs only to look across the street at Marvel, where Cop Car director Jon Watts is helming a Spider-Man movie, to recognize that having a tentpole pedigree isn't always necessary when handing the reigns over to a director. If Ben Affleck, who still plans to play Batman, likes the hire, then maybe Matt Ross can work.
This bombshell creates so many new questions for the DCEU. Who will they hire to replace Ben Affleck? When will this movie actually come out? Should it be sidelined for a long period of time, giving room to projects like Shazam and Black Adam? And why don't directors STAY in the DCEU? Stay with us, as we try to figure all of this out.
