There is still hope for the new standalone Batman movie to take off the ground, albeit not anytime in the coming months since the current production slate is packed full for the DC Extended Universe.
According to a new report from Heroic Hollywood this weekend, the long-shadowed project, dubbed The Batman, should enter full production sometime next year. There is also word that director Matt Reeves will be sticking around until then, following rumors that he may eventually walk away. This should provide comfort for fans, at least for the time being, since Reeves previously mentioned that the storyline had already been chalked out.
While a new Batman movie in the making is always good to hear, there is the major question looming overhead about the actor wearing the dark cape. The grapevine has been producing strong claims that Ben Affleck is pretty much done with the role. There is no official acknowledgement but Affleck is said to be stepping down after fulfilling his commitment for the Flashpoint (2020) movie adaptation; not to forget that he also reportedly declined the position of helming the time-travelling project, which perhaps signifies that he has grown weary of the comic book medium.
Take it with a pinch of salt but Jake Gyllenhaal (Southpaw) could be the new Dark Knight in the foreseeable future, unless the director has someone else in sight.
Warner Bros. is already producing Shazam! (2019) and will begin with Wonder Woman 2 (2019) in the coming months. There is also the Joker origin movie set for principal photography right after.
There is no release date yet for the new Batman movie but the production schedule — if kept — should see the premiere happen around 2020 or 2021. There is also no word on what setting the standalone project will delve in.
