
With director Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice less than a year away from its opening and director-writer David Ayer’s Suicide Squad currently in production, all eyes are on Warner Bros’ evergrowing DC Cinematic Universe. Seeing as San Diego Comic-Con 2015 is only a couple of weeks away and WB is slated to appear in Hall H, it’s looking like big news about Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Ben Affleck), and Wonder Woman’s (Gal Gadot) universe could be right around the corner.
Only time will tell what the studio reveals to SDCC’s always crowded Hall H, but many fans have been wondering about the future of Batman and Superman’s solo movies. WB has formally announced release dates for several Justice League character solo movies, but Superman and Batman spinoffs were left off the slate – only appearing in a note which stated they will have their own solo films, at some point. Now, it looks like the director, writer, and release date of The Batman – the project’s alleged title – may have been revealed.
Latino Review is reporting that Affleck will direct and (obviously) star in The Batman, with Chris Terrio (who penned Affleck’s Best Picture Oscar-winner Argo) scripting Batman’s first spinoff in the new DC Cinematic Universe. Terrio not only reworked David S. Goyer’s script draft for Batman v Superman, but he’s also writing Justice League Part One and Justice League Part Two. As for when fans can see the movie, the report claims WB is now looking at a November 2018 release date target, in order to fit around other DC films and Affleck’s upcoming projects (like his next directorial effort, Live By Night).
A Batman movie, directed by Affleck and written by Terrio, is loaded with potential. Some fans still rip on Affleck for the lackluster Daredevil movie, but that was a decade ago and he’s gone on to prove he’s a solid actor (Gone Girl), while his work on Argo, The Town, and Gone Baby Gone has shown he’s a talented director too. As for Terrio, his work with Argo proved he has a good handle on character and suspense, and seeing as he’ll be playing such an instrumental role in the DC Cinematic Universe, Terrio should have a great understanding of the DCCU’s heroes and villains.

Affleck’s Batman will start out older and more experienced (and, if rumors are to be believed, has quite a dark and complicated history), so the character’s solo movie shouldn’t have to focus so much on his origins – an approach many fans would no doubt prefer, at this stage. The fact that characters such as The Joker (Jared Leto), Deadshot (Will Smith) and Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) will all be established in the DCCU by Suicide Squad also means that any (all?) of them could appear in Affleck’s solo Batman movie. Deadshot usually has a compelling dynamic with Batman in the DC comics, so perhaps that could be explored onscreen for the first time in Affleck’s solo adventure.
Many would prefer the Batman solo movie to avoid being an origin story at all (even via flashbacks a la Man of Steel), since the events which turned Bruce Wayne into Batman are such common knowledge. Still, in the hands of Affleck and Terrio, a new take on those familiar events could be great, assuming the film also embraces elements of Batman’s mythos that the previous movies didn’t address. A Red Hood story could be an effective way to have a narrative which is set in the present but also sheds new light on the past (in the vein of acclaimed DC animated movie, Under the Red Hood) and incorporates someone like The Joker in a way that stops him from hogging the spotlight.
But enough from us – what do you make of this Batman solo movie rumor? Does it sounds good to you?
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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on March 25, 2016, followed by Suicide Squad on August 5, 2016; Wonder Woman on June 23, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 23, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; The Batman (alleged title) reportedly on November, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern on June 19, 2020.Source: Latino Review