Stop me if you've heard this before. DC's planned solo Batman movie is back on. With a director. And Ben Affleck in the lead. And it's a name you have heard before. Matt Reeves, of Planet of the Apes fame, is back on as the director and producer of the next solo Batman movie. And he even has a statement! Reeves says:
I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates with me deeply. I am incredibly honored and excited to be working with Warner Bros. to bring an epic and emotional new take on the Caped Crusader to the big screen.
According to a release by Warner Bros., Matt Reeves, who is repped by CAA and 3 Arts, will also serve as a producer on the new standalone Batman movie, though the release neglects to mention a release date, a start of production, or even Ben Affleck, who many assume will still star as both Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader. In fact, Borys Kit of The Hollywood Reporter took to Twitter in the aftermath to confirm:
The announcement of Matt Reeve's hiring was made by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, who added:
We are thrilled to have Matt Reeves taking the helm of Batman, the crown jewel of our DC slate. Matt's deep roots in genre films and his evolution into an emotional world-building director make him the perfect filmmaker to guide the Dark Knight through this next journey.
And now, the real questions begin. We know that Wonder Woman hits theaters in June of this year, followed by Zack Snyder's Justice League in November. James Wan's Aquaman movie is prepping its shoot, and the movie is due to reach theaters in October 2018. But after that, it's a crapshoot. The streets of the DCEU are littered with half-started projects such as The Flash (in need of a director), Green Lantern Corps (being described as Lethal Weapon in space), and the dance that DC has done with The Rock over Shazam and Black Adam for years. This says nothing about a possible Suicide Squad 2, or that Gotham City Sirens movie David Ayer wants to make.
But with Matt Reeves now locked and loaded for this solo Batman movie, does this mean that Warner Bros. and DC will move forward, full steam ahead, on this project, putting it before The Flash movie or any of the other projects? It likely depends on the script -- which, depending on reports, has been in numerous stages of development and rewrite for months now. Reeves may be behind a complete overhaul of the project, and if someone as intelligent as Matt Reeves wants to starts over from scratch to get it right, you give him all the time that he needs. Hiring Reeves is similar to hiring Nolan. He's a genius filmmaker, and if you let him work, he'll likely produce a masterpiece.
For now, though, we'll wait and see. This movie has been a roller coaster ride of hard left turns, and just because Matt Reeves is on board today doesn't mean he still will be on board in a week. The director has War for the Planet of the Apes in theaters in July, while DC has Wonder Woman in June. get excited, folks.
