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The Batman is currently in development under the direction of Matt Reeves after the departure of Ben Affleck as director. The original Affleck script was expected to include Deathstroke as the main villain, but it’s currently unknown what Reeves’ version will be about other than the fact that it will be a hard boiled detective story. After months of uncertainty, it’s not even clear if Affleck will return to the role of the Caped Crusader, but he hasn’t been officially ruled out yet. Rumors have suggested he’ll be replaced by Jake Gyllenhaal, but Gyllenhaal recently denied the rumor.

Release Date: Possibly 2021
Cast: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons, J.K. Simmons
Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Matt Reeves

BEN AFFLECK ISN’T CONFIRMED FOR THE BATMAN

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The Batman may star Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the actor’s involvement. Since early 2017, various reports have indicated that Affleck was planning on exiting the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is something that he himself later confirmed. Shortly before Justice League released, Affleck said that he was looking for a way to segue out of his Batman role.

Affleck currently has only one more Batman movie left on his DCEU contract. And since recent reports suggest that Affleck may reprise his role in DC’s Flashpoint movie, it’s possible that he will choose to have that role be his last in the DCEU. If he does appear in that movie and then decides to also appear in The Batman, then he will need to renegotiate and resign his contract with Warner Bros. and DC Films. Until that happens, though, it’s unclear who’s playing The Caped Crusader. Jake Gyllenhaal was reportedly the frontrunner to be Affleck’s replacement, but Gyllenhaal recently shot down that rumor.

THE BATMAN’S SUPPORTING CAST HASN’T BEEN REVEALED

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The Batman‘s supporting cast hasn’t been revealed so far, nor are there any indications as to who will appear in the movie aside from Jeremy Irons, who plays Alfred Pennyworth, and J.K. Simmons, who made his debut as Commissioner Gordon in 2017’s Justice League. Although it’s presumed that Commissioner Gordon will appear in The Batman, Simmons has yet to meet Matt Reeves about his role. Considering that the movie’s script is still being worked on, however, this isn’t something to worry about, at least not right away. Given that The Batman will be the character’s first solo in the DCEU movie, plenty of other characters should be introduced in the installment.

THE BATMAN COULD FEATURE DEATHSTROKE AS A VILLAIN

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The Batman was originally supposed to feature Deathstroke as the titular villain, played by Joe Manganiello, but that was when the story was being written by Ben Affleck and DC Films co-chief Geoff Johns. Now that Matt Reeves is starting over from scratch, it’s unclear who the villain (or villains) of the movie will be. It’s still possible that Deathstroke will appear following Manganiello’s debut in the Justice League post-credits scene. Other villains that have already been introduced in the DCEU could also potentially show up in The Batman, such as Jared Leto’s The Joker, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and even Will Smith’s Deadshot, though they don’t have to have major parts.

THE BATMAN’S STORY IS BEING REWRITTEN

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The Batman doesn’t have a story yet. As previously mentioned, Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns originally co-wrote a draft for the movie, but then Matt Reeves tossed out that script when he came on board in 2017. And now, Reeves has said that he’s starting The Batman‘s story from scratch, which makes sense since he has a history of working intimately with the writers for his movies to make sure everyone is on the same page when production begins. One thing to note, however, is that, The Batman will not be about Jason Todd’s death, it will be a hard-broiled detective story.

THE BATMAN’S TRAILER HASN’T RELEASED YET

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The Batman doesn’t have a trailer yet. Depending on when the movie releases, audiences should expect to see at least a teaser trailer at the previous year’s San Diego Comic-Con.

THE BATMAN’S POSTER HASN’T RELEASED YET

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The Batman doesn’t have a poster yet, but there have plenty of fan-made posters for the film, some of which could even inspire Warner Bros.’ marketing team to mimic for the actual campaign.

THE BATMAN COULD RELEASE IN 2021

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The Batman doesn’t have a release date yet, but reports have indicated that the movie won’t go into production until 2019 at the earliest, thus meaning that even 2020 seems like a possibility. David F. Sandberg’s Shazam! and Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 2 are the only two movies that are confirmed to be filming in 2018, with Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey potentially entering production in fall 2018. That means Gavin O’Connor’s Suicide Squad 2 should roll cameras in 2019 along with potentially John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s The Flash/Flashpoint, if not also Batgirl or another DCEU movie.

It’s possible that The Batman could enter production at the end of 2019 or in early 2020, which would make a 2021 release date plausible. Warner Bros. certainly looks like they want to film at least 3 movies per year, so fans shouldn’t have to wait too long to get more DCEU movies on the big screen – but everything takes time.

THE BATMAN’S DCEU CONNECTIONS ARE UNCLEAR

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The Batman is part of the DCEU, that much is known. Matt Reeves confirmed the news himself in August 2017, but it’s unclear exactly HOW the movie will connect to the rest of the shared universe. The Batman is being developed as a standalone production. Moreover, DC Entertainment president Diane Nelson and DC Films co-chief Geoff Johns mentioned in September 2017 that not all DCEU films will need to connect to one another. That means that, while every movie exists within the shared universe, connecting each story and character is not the priority. They are focused on delivering the best movies regardless, which means more freedom for the filmmakers. So, for The Batman, fans shouldn’t expect some sort of Batman V Superman sequel.

THE BATMAN IS DIRECTED BY MATT REEVES

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The Batman solo movie originally had Ben Affleck attached to direct in addition to writing and producing, as well as starring in the title role. Then, in January 2017, Affleck stepped down from directing the project due, which later revealed was because it was too much work to do for a project like that. Then, one month after Affleck left his directorial duties behind, Warner Bros. hired Matt Reeves to direct The Batman. Reeves, who is known for directing Cloverfield and the last two Planet of the Apes movies, tends to take his time developing his films, so fans shouldn’t expect to see The Batman in theaters for quite a while.

THE BATMAN IS WRITTEN BY MATT REEVES

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The Batman was originally written by Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns (with a rewrite from Chris Terrio), though their draft of the script had been thrown out when Matt Reeves boarded the film. Reeves is re-writing The Batman script from scratch and is rumored to be working alongside his Planet of the Apes collaborator Mark Bomback. Although the rumor makes sense and is entirely plausible, the studio has yet to confirm or deny the news.