Will ‘Birds of Prey’ Set Up the New DCEU Batman?

More has come to light about Warner Bros’ Birds of Prey, and it turns out the film could set in motion the hunt for a new Batman.

The big news today was the casting of Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Black Canary and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Huntress in the new Birds of Prey film, who will join Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn in the team-up movie. There was an additional detail though about the film’s plot that perked up ears, suggesting that there’s an opening in the Dark Knight department.

The report states that the team finds themselves defending a Gotham City that is no longer protected by Batman, with the crew battling a crime lord in Batman’s absence (via Deadline). This will take place after Suicide Squad though, which featured a cameo from Ben Affleck’s take on Batman, a slightly older version who’s been fighting crime as the caped crusader for 20 years at that point in time.

So, what happened to Batman then? Perhaps this is the space where DC and Warner Bros. will bring in a new Dark Knight, with either Wayne giving over the role of Batman to someone else or simply using it as a way to introduce a new actor behind the cape and cowl. It’s unknown which route they will take with this, but it is peculiar that Batman is missing completely from his home city.

It’s still unknown what will be happening with the Batman role, which as of right now Affleck is still attached to. He’s currently pegged as the Dark Knight in Matt Reeves’ upcoming The Batman solo film, which Affleck was originally attached to as director, producer, and star. Since then Reeves has come in as director after Affleck stepped down, and it’s unclear whether Affleck will continue on as Batman for the project.

Henry Cavill’s recent exit (or sort of exit) has only cast more doubt on Affleck’s time as Batman, so, for now, we’ll just have to wait and see.

As for Birds of Prey, the film will also feature Rene Montoya, though no one has been cast in the role yet. The film will be directed by Cathy Yan and with Robbie, Sue Kroll, and Bryan Unkeless producing.

Birds of Prey is slated to hit theaters on February 7th, 2020.