One fan-made video makes a point about digitally de-aging Ben Affleck to play a young Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves' The Batman. Debuting the DCEU's iteration of the Caped Crusader in 2016's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Affleck was originally attached to star and direct in a Batman standalone movie. Sadly, not long after BvS hit theaters, the actor eventually stepped down from helming the flick and was replaced by Matt Reeves.

After weeks without any updates, Reeves offered some official detail with regard to the film recently, sharing that the script is nearly done but it won't be based on Batman: Year One, as previously reported. He also provided some information about the status of Affleck's involvement on the project, saying that he's still attached to the movie. However, he won't confirm whether or not the actor will play the character. Rumor has it that the film will feature a younger version of the famed DC hero, casting doubts about Affleck's appearance, but one fan is illustrating how it could work without the need to recast via a fan-edit.

Twitter user Landon O'Leary posted a clip on the social media platform, demonstrating how he was able to easily digitally de-age Affleck as Batman in motion. Using a clip from BvS, the creator revealed that he only used two applications to make the video: Final Cut Pro and Face App. The end result is impressive, with a lot of fans chiming in on the possibility that Warner Bros. might just do this for Reeves' forthcoming solo Batman film. Check out the video below:


To be fair to Warner Bros., while O'Leary was able to make the render, that doesn't mean that the process to do it on a full big blockbuster will also be a walk in the park. Ensuring the de-aging of Affleck throughout the entire movie from all angles is consistent would undoubtedly be a lot of work for the computer graphics department. Additionally, the fact that the studio doesn't really have the best record when it comes to VFX given the poor work on Justice League, particularly on removing Henry Cavill's facial hair, it's best that the company just taps another actor to play a younger version of Affleck's Bruce Wayne.

Aside from saving themselves the trouble by passing up on the option to digitally de-age Affleck, it also lessens the pressure on the actor to finally deliver a generally well-received DC movie. While both BvS and Justice League have their own share of fans, the movies got divisive reviews from the general viewing public, something that understandably affected his enthusiasm in continuing his stint as the Caped Crusader. If Reeves' prequel movie takes off, then Affleck's interest in playing the character could be reinvigorated, motivating him to continue portraying the role moving forward.

Finally, Warner Bros. isn't backing themselves into a corner should Affleck finally sever ties with DC Films and they need to eventually recast. Getting people acclimated with different actors playing Batman in the DCEU can make it easier for everyone to also accept that Affleck will no longer be playing the present-day version of the character starting with The Batman.