After a cloud of uncertainty hung over the DCEU’s The Batman for years, Ben Affleck finally confirmed his departure from the role last month. The Matt Reeves project now moves forward with an official release date: June 25, 2021. Following the news, Zack Snyder posted a heartfelt goodbye to Affleck’s Batman with these words:
There was a time above.. A time before… there were perfect things… diamond absolutes. But things fall.. Things on earth. And what falls… is fallen. In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie, Best Batman ever. Thank you my friend for blessing me with that fucking glorious chin and an amazing heart.
How poetic! Ben Affleck was recently asked for a reaction to the Zack Snyder quote -- specifically the part about his chin -- while he was doing press for action drama Triple Frontier alongside co-star Oscar Isaac. Here’s what they said to Associated Press:
Ben Affleck: Zack's a funny guy, what can I say? [laughs]Oscar Isaac: He's got a good chin too, doesn't he?Ben Affleck: He does have a very nice chin! He shouldn't sell himself short.
You get a glorious chin and you get a glorious chin! Ben Affleck was tickled by Zack Snyder’s love letter to the actor’s superhero role, and Oscar Isaac also weighed in, observing the DCEU filmmaker’s also chiseled chin. I’d like to think Isaac is subtly campaigning to take over the role of Bruce Wayne by contributing to the flattery… he was rumored to be considered for a Batman role.
Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder worked closely together to bring a new Batman back to screen in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. After some initial backlash to Affleck’s casting, many fans embraced the actor as the Dark Knight, though some still voiced other issues with the direction of the DCEU.
After the overall negative reception to 2017’s Justice League, plans to continue making movies about the interconnected stories of the superhero team seemed to shift. That shift came just as Ben Affleck’s original plans to direct, produce, and star in a standalone Batman movie fell apart. Now War for the Planet of the Apes’ writer/director Matt Reeves is directing and writing The Batman script, and he's looking for a new star.
As the DCEU moves forward, the focus is on standalone origin stories and less on Zack Snyder’s vision -- with Shazam!, Joker and Birds of Prey on the way. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is said to be a "noir" Batman tale that will have the hero using his detective skills and featuring a Rogue’s Gallery of villains, though a new Bruce Wayne has not yet been cast.
Ben Affleck stars next in Netflix’s Triple Frontier, coming to the streaming service on March 13. The movie is about five former Special Forces operatives who reunite to plan a heist in South America; it also stars Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal.
