After Henry Cavill’s recent situation with the Superman role, many have theorized that Ben Affleck wouldn’t be far behind in exiting the role of Batman. Now it looks like that’s what has happened.
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According to a new report from Deadline, Affleck will be stepping aside for a younger actor to play the Caped Crusader.
Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the Dark Knight has been a bit polarizing amongst fans of the character, though after his take debuted in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice many were celebrating the portrayal as one of the high points of the film. Sure it was darker than previous takes (which is saying something when it followed Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy), but many liked the physicality he brought to the role.
Affleck followed that performance with a cameo in Suicide Squad, and then appeared next in Justice League, but once again the DC film ended up dividing fans. The film made an attempt to inject more lightheartedness and humor, and some of Affleck’s scenes were included in that attempt. Unfortunately, it struggled to find a balance, something that wasn’t helped from the film’s use of two directors (Zack Snyder and then Joss Whedon).
Justice League failed to do the business that was expected from it at the box office, and so the status of a Justice League 2 has been in limbo. As for Affleck, he was originally supposed to direct and star in the Batman solo film but later stepped down from directing. A script had already been written by that point, though when Matt Reeves was brought on board to direct the movie they essentially started from scratch, deciding that the Affleck treatment would no longer be used. At least, that’s what we’ve been able to gather so far from reports.
Now it looks like someone else will be in the Batman role, and it remains to be seen what direction WB and DC will go this time around.
How do you feel about Affleck leaving Batman behind? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
