It's Official - Ben Affleck Will NOT Direct The Batman

It's Official - Ben Affleck Will NOT Direct The Batman

Hollywood Actor Finally Ends Speculation

By Alex Burns

We can finally put to bed one of the longest and most click-baiting rumour mills of recent memory as today Ben Affleck confirms he will indeed NOT be directing the next solo Batman film. In an interview with Variety the Oscar-winning director explained in a statement why he was no longer suitable for the project. Check it out in full below.

“There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions,” Affleck said in a statement. “Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world.”

Warner Bros. Pictures added: “Warner Bros. fully supports Ben Affleck’s decision and remains committed to working with him to bring a standalone Batman picture to life.”

Now the search for a new director begins and it will be really interesting to see how quickly an official announcement follows. In our opinion, Warner Bros. have favoured speed over quality with their recent DC comics live-action films and time will tell if the negative critical reaction to their attempts at an extended DC universe on screen will affect their upcoming projects in a good way. 

Variety also mention there is a shortlist of possible directors and they are hearing that War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves is among those on the list.

There's very little information on how the plot of the film will unfold, but what we do know is that Joe Manganiello will play Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke and Jeremy Irons is expected to return as Alfred with J.K. Simmons cast as a new version of Commissioner Gordon are expected to happen as well.

If you read this site regularly and listen to our podcast you'll know full well that we made a decision early on to not report on rumours and speculation like the "Ben Affleck directing Batman" saga and while we may get less traffic, we certainly feel vindicated when something official is actually announced and we've been right on the money.

We'll be talking more about this statement on the next podcast, you can still catch Ben Affleck as Batman later this year in Justice League - set for release November 17th

Subscribe to us on iTunes!