We’re just weeks away from Matt Reeves’ The Batman arriving in theaters, but there was a time when this was envisioned as completely different project. Originally the next of the solo Batman movies was supposed to star Ben Affleck’s incarnation of the Caped Crusader, and as teased at the end of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, he would have collided with Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke. While this would have been the first opportunity for Affleck’s Batman to shine on his own, it turns out the movie would have still squeezed in some major DC Extended Universe cameos.
Matt Reeves revealed this while discussing The Batman’s development in an interview with EW. The filmmaker described the script that Ben Affleck wrote with Geoff Johns and Chris Terrio as an “action-based James Bondian” story that was tied to the deeper DCEU lore through appearances from “other big superheroes.” Reeves didn’t identify who these superheroes were, but evidently Warner Bros. and DC were keen on using them to remind viewers that Affleck’s Batman existed within a larger world.
On first impression, it sounds like Matt Reeves could be teasing a few of Batman’s fellow Justice Leaguers, like Superman and Wonder Woman. It’s easy enough to imagine them stopping by Gotham City for a spell to check in on Bruce or tell him to chill out. After all, if they were integral characters in the main story, then they’d make quick work of Deathstroke, hence needing to keep them out of the main conflict.
However, let’s not brush away the possibility Matt Reeves was referring to DC superheroes who hadn’t debuted in the DCEU yet. Remember, Joe Manganiello previously said that the Ben Affleck-led The Batman would have seen Batgirl showing up to help Bruce fight Deathstroke. Maybe we could have seen some other Bat-Family members jump in to lend a hand, like Nightwing, Catwoman, Huntress or someone like Tim Drake as Robin.
Whoever these anonymous superheroes were, their presence wasn’t enough to convince Matt Reeves he would be a good fit for this take on The Batman. To his surprise though, Warner Bros. was willing listen to his pitch for a Batman movie, and initially Reeves was willing to put together a story that was connected to the DCEU, but didn’t have to service it. That ended up being unnecessary once Ben Affleck departed the project, and The Batman transformed into the reboot starring Robert Pattinson that will be in front of our eyeballs in early March.
Fortunately for DC fans, they’re getting the best of both worlds. Along with Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight existing in his own reality and fighting villains like Riddler and Penguin, the upcoming DCEU movie The Flash will feature both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s versions of Batman. That said, unless Flash himself, Ezra Miller, knows something we don’t, the Scarlet Speedster’s solo movie will be Affleck’s last outing in the cape and cowl, with Keaton resuming regular Batman duties, starting with Batgirl.
The Batman opens in theaters on March 4, and The Flash will follow on November 4. If that isn’t enough superhero excitement on the horizon for you, read through our guide covering other upcoming DC movies.
