An August 24 report in The Daily Express said that Hollywood actor Ben Affleck would officially be out of the upcoming stand-alone movie featuring Batman. Rumors about his exit from portraying the role of Batman have circulated for quite some time, but it seems that fans are getting an official confirmation that he is bowing out of the production.
The Daily Express reported that the script of the actor, who earlier played Batman in “Superman v Batman,” has been dropped.
A different actor will reprise the role in the upcoming movie.
The 45-year-old actor also gave up the writing and directorial jobs for the upcoming stand-alone movie featuring the Caped Crusader. Director Matt Reeves took over since February.
But for certain, Affleck will appear as Batman in the “Justice League” film alongside Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill as Superman. “Justice League” will be shown worldwide this November.
Ben Affleck as Batman
It has been earlier reported that his brother, Casey Affleck has confirmed that Ben is not doing “The Batman.” Casey appeared in an interview with WEEI Sports Radio Network, saying that he does not think his brother is coming back for the superhero role, despite portraying it successfully in the previous movie.
“I thought [Ben] was a great Batman. He is a hero, so he had something to source out and work from there. But he is not going to do the film; I do not think so. Sorry to say,” Casey Affleck reportedly revealed in the radio interview.
Earlier reports also revealed that the new stand-alone “Batman” film has been encountering issues in the production. There are still apparently several twists and turns surrounding the production of this film, especially with the possibility that Ben Affleck has confirmed his exit. The film has not started shooting at this point since it was announced in 2014.
Different movie universe
The stand-alone “Batman” movie will not be part of the DC Expanded Universe, just like another upcoming film featuring his villain, The Joker.
Previously, it has been announced that a spin-off movie for The Joker is in the works, but it will not feature the actor Jared Leto.
As for the “Batman” movie, The Hollywood Reporter said that it is still unclear which DC universe the project will fall into. Warner Bros recently announced that it would create new labels for some of its future movies, apart from the places where its big budget superhero movies were set, Batman News reported.