Just moments ago, it was announced that The Batman, one of the most eagerly anticipated projects in the DC Extended Universe, is coming out on June 25, 2021. Along with this news, it was also reported that this movie will see a different actor playing Batman rather than Ben Affleck. Now the actor has confirmed that this information is indeed true with the following tweet:


https://twitter.com/BenAffleck/status/1090772636206952448


If this doesn’t constitute enough confirmation in your mind, THR has confirmed with Ben Affleck that this tweet is him “saying goodbye to the role.” This marks the end of an era, with Affleck’s tenure as Batman finishing with three movies. He made his DCEU debut in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, followed that up with a minor appearance in Suicide Squad months later and then donned the cape and cowl one last time for Justice League in late 2017.


Although a DCEU-set Batman movie was first announced in October 2014, the project took a major step forward in 2016, when it was revealed that in addition to starring in The Batman, Ben Affleck would direct and produce the movie, and also co-write the screenplay with Geoff Johns. The story those two came up with would have seen the Caped Crusader battling Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, who was introduced at the end of Justice League and played by Joe Manganiello.


However, at the start of 2017, Ben Affleck dropped out of directing The Batman, and a few months later, War for the Planet of the Apes’ Matt Reeves was tapped for helming duties and to rewrite the story from scratch. Since then, there’s been no shortage of rumors and reports that claimed that a different actor would take over as Batman for this upcoming movie, and nearly two years later, this ‘will he, won’t he’ back-and-forth is finally over.


The search is now underway to find someone to succeed Ben Affleck as the live action Batman. Although Warner Bros and DC are reportedly looking for someone younger to step into the role, it’s also been said that The Batman will not be an adaptation of the Year One storyline. Story-wise, all Matt Reeves has revealed so far is that The Batman will have a noir tone, see Bruce Wayne using his detective skills and feature multiple Batman villains. It’s rumored that Penguin will be one of these adversaries.


As for Ben Affleck, he has enough projects to keep himself busy for the foreseeable future. His future cinematic appearances include I Am Still Alive, based off the same-named book by Kate Alice Marshall; Torrance, which follows a former basketball player who becomes a coach at a high school while dealing with his addiction; and The Accountant 2. He’s also directing a movie about the rigged McDonald’s Monopoly game that will star his Good Will Hunting buddy, Matt Damon.