Regardless ofBen Affleck’s reluctance to betoospecific regarding when hisstandaloneBatmanmoviemight happen, it sounds like Warner Bros. is moving full-speed ahead. Just last week word surfaced that filming on theJustice Leaguesequelwasbeing pushed backto make room forThe Batman. When production onBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewas ongoing, Warner Bros. ambitiously slatedJustice League 2for release in 2019 with the assumption thatZack Snyderwould shoot three DC movies back-to-back-to-back. But tepid reception toBatman v Supermanshook up WB’s plans, and now it appears thatThe Batmanis the studio’s next priority whileJustice League 2is, for the time-being, delayed a tad.
So when isThe Batmanfilming and when will it hit theaters? Speaking at a recentVarietyscreening of his latest directorial effortLive by Night, Affleck offered a positive but muted update on the status of the standaloneBatmanmovie:
“We’re on the right track with that and everything is coming together. We’re still finishing up a script. I’m very excited… I respect all of those [Batman] movies.Christopher Nolandid an incredible job,Christian Baledid an incredible job,Tim Burtondid an incredible job. At a certain point you have to look forward and try to believe in your own vision for it and not be looking over your shoulder the whole time. I go into that movie with a tremendous amount of respect for the people who came before me.”
Affleck has been working on the script withGeoff Johnsfor some time now, and during filming ofJustice Leaguethis summer we learned that he had castJoe ManganielloasThe Batman’s villain Deathstroke. But just a few days ago, Affleck was more wishy-washy about when the movie might happen, stressing to theNew York Timesthat he’s no fan of chasing a release date:
“We still have to get a screenplay and get it together.… I’m a real believer in not reverse-engineering projects to meet a window or a date, but rather when you get the right story, when the right idea, when the right thing, then you make the movie. That’s what we’re doing, and I’m hoping to get that done. I’m spending a lot of time working on that, but also working on other stuff.”
And thenyesterday, we got even more conflicting news straight from Warner Bros. itself. In something of an exit interview withDeadline,Greg Silverman—the outgoing President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production—seemed to listThe Batmanas one of the many films Warner Bros. has slated for release in 2018:
“Then in 2018, there is a secondFantastic Beastsfilm, andReady Player Onefeels like an ambitious movie by the world’s best filmmaker, Steven Spielberg, that will set the world on fire. There isAquamanwith James Wan, andScooby Doowill be a huge launch and then there isLego Ninjago. And then there is Ben Affleck’sBatman.”
Silverman added that production onThe Batmanbegins next spring, and while it’s tough to tell if he’s includingThe Batmanamong the 2018 releases in that statement or just adding it as an addendum (i.e. “And we also have Ben Affleck’sBatman[coming soon]”), that date would certainly make sense. Warner Bros. recently datedJames Wan’sAquamanfor June 25, 2025, but the studio also still has an untitled DC film slated for release on June 07, 2025. That seems like it could be a prime date to open Affleck’s new Batman movie, and if production indeed begins next spring, that would seemingly give Affleckjustenough post-production time to finish the movie.
So while Affleck seems reluctant to pinpoint any sort of specific dates, it certainly sounds likeThe Batmancould be in front of cameras before next summer. WithWonder Womanarriving next June andJustice Leaguehitting theaters next November, it’s entirely possible thatThe Batmancould be that next movie out of the gate.
