Recently, Ben Affleck officially confirmed that he was retiring from his role as Batman in the DC Extended Universe after portraying the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League. During his appearance on Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, the Academy Award-winner explained that he felt that he couldn’t get a crack on a version that he would’ve directed.
However, the script for the Ben Affleck version of The Batman was read by numerous people, including animation director and storyboard artist Jay Oliva who has worked on numerous DCEU project. A few months ago, Oliva claimed that the Ben Affleck script was the best he ever read:
Hi Bill! The original Affleck script was the best Batman script I’ve ever read. Ben had a kick ass story and I believe that the audience and fans would have loved it.
— Jay Oliva (@jayoliva1) September 4, 2018
In fact, Deathstroke actor Joe Manganiello replied to Oliva’s tweet as a ringing endorsement of what the Ben Affleck version of The Batman could have been:
✔️
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) September 5, 2018
Earlier this month, details about the scrapped Ben Affleck Batman script were revealed, hinting that the film was taking influence from the David Fincher film, The Game. Now that Ben Affleck has officially passed the writer/director’s torch to War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves as well as a younger actor now set to don the cape and cowl, his version of The Batman now joins the likes of Edgar Wright’s Ant-Man and the numerous versions of the DCEU’s long-gestating Flash movie as versions of comic book storytelling that will remain in our imaginations.
Although plot details remain under wraps, Matt Reeves’ project has been long rumored to feature a younger Caped Crusader, even prior to Ben Affleck exiting the role. A rogues gallery of Batman villains are rumored to appear, including The Penguin which could be the film’s main villain. While the film’s inspiration remains unclear, the director himself has confirmed the film will not be based on Frank Miller’s Year One comic directly and will focus on Batman as the World’s Greatest Detective much more than the previous films ever have before.
In the meantime, DCEU fans looking to get their latest big screen fix can still check out Aquaman.
Directed by James Wan, Aquaman stars Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, Patrick Wilson as Orm / Ocean Master, Dolph Lundgren as Nereus, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Ludi Lin as Captain Murk, and Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.
From Warner Bros. Pictures and director, James Wan comes an action-packed adventure that spans the vast, visually breathtaking underwater world of the seven seas, “Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa in the title role. The film reveals the origin story of half-human, half-Atlantean Arthur Curry and takes him on the journey of his lifetime—one that will not only force him to face who he really is, but to discover if he is worthy of who he was born to be… a king.
Aquaman is now playing. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on the future of the current DC cinematic universe as we learn it.
Source: Twitter