File this one under “Gee, I totally saw that coming.”
Ben Affleck is officially done playing Batman. He hangs up the cowl right as Warner Bros announces that Matt Reeves’s The Batman will hit theatres on June 25, 2021. According to Deadline, Affleck is out because Reeves is focusing on a younger Batman. But something tells me he would have dropped out no matter what. Poor Ben just seeemed over it. And can you blame him? His tenure as Bats was troubled, to say the least.
Anyway, Reeves is moving ahead full speed with The Batman. He’s pitching his take as a noir-inspired detective story featuring a full rogue’s gallery instead of one central villain. That’s a smart approach after decades of the bad guy being the focus of every Batman film. It also means we will be seeing a lot of characters who never graced the big screen before. Man oh man, I want to see Clayface. Or Man-Bat. Oh my god, do you think Reeves will give us Black Mask?
Of course now everyone’s eyes turn to who will play Batman. He’s going to be younger again. That means every young male in Hollywood is going to be rumored for the part. I have a few ideas myself but they’re not young enough. I’m nervous because after the missteps of Batman V Superman and Justice League, Warner Bros wants a HIT. They want Batman to be the most popular movie hero again. My fear is that it’ll make them choose someone really young, really hip but also really silly. However, Batman casting has been historically pretty solid so let’s hope the trend continues. I just don’t know what I’d do if some young Disney star suited up as the Caped Crusader.
