It's rumor time everyone! The untitled Batman movie has hit several surprising delays these last few months, from Ben Affleck dropping out as director (but remaining as star and producer), to page one rewrites of the script. Those script rumors were refuted (by Variety reporter Justin Kroll), but with Matt Reeves stepping in as director, it stands to reason that he might be changing a few things. New rumors have surfaced claiming to know what direction Reeves is taking the project, and though it's unconfirmed it would be unlike any Batman film yet to grace the screen.
This new rumor comes from the controversial message board 4chan (via Screen Geek), so have a pretty massive grain of salt on hand, people. These "leaks" claim that director Matt Reeves wants to do a "larger scale Batman film" that will include not only the majority of Batman's rogue's gallery, but the Bat-Family as well. This is similar to an earlier rumor that most of Batman's iconic villains would be making appearances one way or the other, with Arkham Asylum as the main setting. There's no word on if Matt Reeve's version was taken from that idea or how much of it was kept if any.
Earlier reports suggested that Deathstroke would be the main villain of the Batman movie, with Magic Mike's Joe Manganiello already cast in the role of the villainous mercenary. The 4chan leak states that Deathstroke will still be in the film, but that he will no longer be the main villain. Manganiello has admitted to not being quite sure what his role in the film would be -- or if he was even still in it at all -- but past rumors have pointed to Black Mask for the main villain. The film will also reportedly incorporate Amanda Waller, The Joker, Harley, as well as introduce the Bat-family to take all the baddies down.
While this rumor is very possibly fake, the addition of the Bat-Family would be a logical and smart move for Warner Bros, and crew to make. The relationship between Batman and his costumed allies in Gotham has never been seen satisfyingly on-screen before, meaning it would help to immediately set the Batman solo film apart from every other Batman movie. One can hardly argue of the appeal of a newly teamwork focused Batman repairing his relationships to characters like Nightwing and Batgirl, and then teaming up to fight the who's who of Bat-villains. Plus, with Nightwing, Batgirl (a potential Joss Whedon joint), and technically Gotham City Sirens in active development, all of these characters will be around for whenever the film hits theaters.
With the Batman film being the first bonafide Bat installment in the DCEU, there's a whole lot of potential to explore here. The superhero film is currently looking at a likely 2019 release date, so stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you updated on all things Batman as soon as that information becomes available.
