Reeve on The Batman " it’s not part of the extended universe"?? your preference??

[dhandler01]

I don't think THR would run with a story unless it had some validity to it.

You mean like when they did the "Matt Reeve's Said it was Outside the DCEU" only to have to retract it later that day because they were wrong? How about before Comic-Con when they said WB wants Affleck out yet WB had Affleck there, let him speak on panel about the rumor and he said he was staying.

THR's track record of late is not great.

 

[Flint Marko]

You mean like when they did the "Matt Reeve's Said it was Outside the DCEU" only to have to retract it later that day because they were wrong?

Matt Reeves misspoke. He flat out said it was not part of the extended universe. Whether or not you feel his words were taken out of context, those are his words. I don't see how you can fault THR for reporting on what the man said.

How about before Comic-Con when they said WB wants Affleck out yet WB had Affleck there, let him speak on panel about the rumor and he said he was staying.

THR's track record of late is not great.

Weird how Affleck's commitment to Batman, or lack thereof, sure has been an issue for quite some time. You know what they say about smoke. I'm hoping we get a Matt Reeves/Ben Affleck Batman movie (I've said for years that I'm a fan of the guy as a film-maker) because that sounds amazing on paper and I'd pay to see that movie tomorrow, but I have my doubts that it will come into fruition.

 

[FunkMiller]

Weird how Affleck's commitment to Batman, or lack thereof, sure has been an issue for quite some time. You know what they say about smoke. I'm hoping we get a Matt Reeves/Ben Affleck Batman movie (I've said for years that I'm a fan of the guy as a film-maker) because that sounds amazing on paper and I'd pay to see that movie tomorrow, but I have my doubts that it will come into fruition.

Until WB release a presser that states Ben Affleck will be starring in Matt Reeves Batman movie, I will continue to believe he's probably gone.

 

[Flint Marko]

Until WB release a presser that states Ben Affleck will be starring in Matt Reeves Batman movie, I will continue to believe he's probably gone.

Same. Affleck's involvement was the only thing keeping me on board for this movie but now.... eh. I could live without another Batman movie.

 

[The Guard]

The more this comes up, the less and less it seems like news, even more so after Matt Reeves' tweets.

It's not. Even he does leave, it will barely be news, despite the fact that it will get a ton of media attention. The possibility has existed for years now. Nothing will be surprising at this point after all the drama.

That said, people really need to stop pretending that anything is set in stone, and that any one source or rumor "proves" anything. It's gotten ridiculous.

Affleck may be well received in his next turn in the role, JUSTICE LEAGUE might be a massive financial and possibly even a more critical success, and his personal life and career might be going well, and he might feel better about returning to the role in the future. Or JL might not get the reception he hopes, his career may need a different direction, and he may have some personal issues, and decide he's done.

Or he may have already decided that he'd probably rather not do THE BATMAN, and wonder of wonders, he's a human being and changes his mind.

At this point, people need to be prepared for any possibility. But beyond that...it's simply not that big a deal. At this point, Affleck as Batman has been one of the single most negative sources of media attention this universe has gotten. A new actor in the cowl could remove that stigma and allow for a fresh start. Affleck committing to do another film could also have very positive results.

He's solid in the role, but I think we need another film with him playing a more traditional version of the character to really gauge his abilities in this role. But the character of Batman is bigger than one person. The character and franchise could survive if Ben Affleck decides not to move forward in the cape and cowl.

 

[dhandler01]

Until WB release a presser that states Ben Affleck will be starring in Matt Reeves Batman movie, I will continue to believe he's probably gone.

So despite the fact that all evidence actually says he is in it, the actor and the studio say he is in it and there is literally nothing but the same recycled rumors to prove he isnt in it...you are assuming he isnt? Is this some sort of sandbagging?

MAtt Reeve's may have misspoke but he also said the movie is part of the universe after the fact which negated their who theory. They are still trying to pretend it might be legit by hinting it is part of the "other branding". Well if that is the case it wouldnt be part of the universe, which would mean either they are wrong or Matt Reeve's lied.

 

[C Prometheus]

Normally I would be skeptical of the "Ben is leaving" rumors, but given everything that's happened over this year, I definitely think it's safer to assume that we'll probably be seeing a different actor playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in Matt Reeves' film.

If Affleck does show up for the film, then that's fantastic. But I feel like at this point, it's just less stressful to assume he's on his way out.

 

[jmc]

As far as I'm concerned I'm going to be more shocked if Affleck stays on board.

 

[C Prometheus]

As far as I'm concerned I'm going to be more shocked if Affleck stays on board.

Same. Seems very likely to me that Affleck and Warner Bros are currently just trying to do damage control so that the "Affleck leaving" reports don't cause much damage for Justice League at the box office.

If Ben's at the DCEU panel at Comic Con next year saying he'll be Batman for Reeves' film, I'll be more willing to believe him then.

 

[Wheels]

I don't see why anyone would take Affleck's word at face value after what happened before he stepped down as director of the film.

 

[Rorschach2012]

I don't see why anyone would take Affleck's word at face value after what happened before he stepped down as director of the film.

Seriously. I'm as big a DC fan as anyone on SHH, and even i can admit that something is fishy. I feel like people just feel this need to be loyal to DC and believe everything they say. If people paid attention, they'd realize that the truth and what WB says isn't always aligned....

 

[dhandler01]

I don't see why anyone would take Affleck's word at face value after what happened before he stepped down as director of the film.

I am not even talking about Affleck you can ignore him if you choose. (even though I will take his word over people speculating every day of the week and twice on Sunday) Just read the stories, not one of them has even an unnamed source it is all speculation and tea leaf reading. This current THR "theory" doesnt even have anything to it. They use the old Affleck rumor (of which nothing new has come up) along with the new idea that WB may be trying for "alternate brands" and tries to find a way one proves the other. It is interesting speculation, but it is one step above fancasting. Literally I saw people saying similar stuff a week ago on this very board with just as much evidence...

Could it be true...of course it could. Maybe Affleck and WB are waiting it out til Justice League then will let him exit gracefully. Maybe Reeves is telling prequels and Affleck isnt needed. (he could then still be Batman in Present day if Justice League is a hit) Maybe Reeves is telling alternate universe stories and he lied before...who knows. But these stories THR is putting out arent in any way proof of anything. The fact that the other trades havent picked up on this (at least the last 2 times) despite THR now attempting to light this fire 3 times since Comic-con tells me more about this story than anything.

As always YMMV though

 

[Wheels]

I'n in the mddle on this. I'll never claim THR's stories are 100% fact, but the official line from WB and Affleck means nothing to me after the Kimmel interview.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I've accepted Ben probably won't be Batman.

 

[Greenlite]

If Matt Reeves' Batman is set in the past with a younger Batman, it kills three birds with one stone:

- It can function as a stand-alone
- It can also function as an entry in the DCEU (Like WW, it simply predates MoS in the timeline)
- You have a perfect excuse to replace Ben Affleck

I think there's far too much smoke over Ben Affleck leaving for it to false. We've heard it consistently over the last several months, and from various sources. Which is why I'm wondering, with one film left on his contract perhaps WB would rather use that for Justice League 2.

Agreed, that's what I thought as well, I'd go as far as giving Affleck an executive producer's role, and have him release a statement about how excited he is seeing Matt's vision and blessing the actor taking on a younger version of himself.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I don't see why anyone would take Affleck's word at face value after what happened before he stepped down as director of the film.

So very true.

 

[BruceWayne2]

Same. Affleck's involvement was the only thing keeping me on board for this movie but now.... eh. I could live without another Batman movie.

See, Batman is the one I'm always excited to see. Any interpretation has me intrigued. Whether it's the Affleck interpretation in a standalone film, or a completely different interpretation, I just want it to be a very human Batman film. That's what makes the character stand out in comics to me, and should be the same in the films. It's cool in the crossover movies to see the character interacting with Gods, Aliens, Monsters, Magic, etc. but I mostly want to see him without all those things. Leave that stuff for the characters with powers, keep Batman gritty and grounded, whether he exists in a meta human universe or not

 

[BruceWayne2]

Idk why people have a problem with a DCEU connected universe in addition to standalone films that are unconnected. I think that's perfect. They can have the main story, but also other films that are free to be as creative as they wish and not tied down by having to fit their story in with the main narrative.


So either way works for me. I'd be happy with a Batfleck film that stays centered in Gotham with human adversaries, or a completely new Batman interpretation that doesn't need to be connected to a world of gods and aliens. It would free Affleck up to just work with the main DCEU films, so we could see him in other movies like The Flash, for example, kinda like Tony Stark.

And you could also have a Batman series untethered by all that. Make it a little more stylized and noir like Sin City, kinda like The Animated Series come to life, or realistic like the Nolan films. Not to mention a completely different Joker that doesn't have to be all stuck up Harley Quinn's a** (or I should say had to be so connected with Harley and this love story thing they've got going in SS)


As a huge fan of the character, that would probably be just as exciting to me as a Batfleck announcement, provided they cast the right Batman (because Affleck is perfect in the role, imo. Though it's a little annoying he would take the role, knowing the kinda commitment it would be and then decide he's not so into it and drop out).


But in general, I think these Elseworlds or standalone stories is the way to go. They can offer some different interpretations of the characters, the main DCEU narrative won't feel so diluted like Marcel's does, imo. And they can do some crazier stories like Kingdom Come and things if that nature. That doesn't mean it's a clister****, they just wanna free up their other films, and that way we might not have to wait so long for each character installment, or get interpretations of characters more to people's liking. Some people just like to complain or criticize, I think.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I'm very curious about the new costume, because we are definitely getting a new costume.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

See, Batman is the one I'm always excited to see. Any interpretation has me intrigued. Whether it's the Affleck interpretation in a standalone film, or a completely different interpretation, I just want it to be a very human Batman film. That's what makes the character stand out in comics to me, and should be the same in the films. It's cool in the crossover movies to see the character interacting with Gods, Aliens, Monsters, Magic, etc. but I mostly want to see him without all those things. Leave that stuff for the characters with powers, keep Batman gritty and grounded, whether he exists in a meta human universe or not

That's how I prefer the character. I don't think he fits in with the JLA. They always have to make the other characters dumb to give Batman a place there. I feel similar about Hawkeye in the Avengers but at least they don't feel pressure to make Hawkeye the only smart character because he is popular.

Batman just seems to be a character that needs the absence of super powered heroes to have a valid reason to exist at all. The world should be desperate for help. Having a Superman running around 10 seconds away doesn't sound like Gotham would need a Batman to me.

 

[BruceWayne2]

Yeah I know what you mean. Like most of the time, Superman could take care of whatever threat to Gotham in ten seconds that would take Batman an entire epic story to do.

But I read a few articles about Matt Reeves on Batman News that make me very optimistic about this film, and I think it will be exactly that. Said he wants to make an emotional noir detective story, he's a big fan and was obsessed with Batman as a kid (like me), he's influenced by Chris Nolan and Alfred Hitchcock


Sounds like he has a great vision for it. There's a big chance I might even prefer this film to TDKT

https://www.google.com/amp/s/conseq...tman-to-be-a-noir-driven-detective-movie/amp/

 

[The Endless]

What if Reeves film is Batman Beyond? Have Affleck as an older, wisened Bruce Wayne. That would be awesome.

And it'd be great to see the legacy aspect.

 

[shauner111]

Not happening.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Yeah I know what you mean. Like most of the time, Superman could take care of whatever threat to Gotham in ten seconds that would take Batman an entire epic story to do.

But I read a few articles about Matt Reeves on Batman News that make me very optimistic about this film, and I think it will be exactly that. Said he wants to make an emotional noir detective story, he's a big fan and was obsessed with Batman as a kid (like me), he's influenced by Chris Nolan and Alfred Hitchcock


Sounds like he has a great vision for it. There's a big chance I might even prefer this film to TDKT

https://www.google.com/amp/s/conseq...tman-to-be-a-noir-driven-detective-movie/amp/

I love the way Matt Reeves thinks about movies in general. He only accepts jobs he is passionate about and he puts everything into it and is very detail oriented. I rewatched Let Me In several times and found new little nuances every time that effected the way I looked at the story.

The fact that he was a fan as a kid sounds exactly like his motivations for the Apes movies and also his personal encounters with bullies as a kid for LMI. I fully expect a Batman movie with many layers that you might miss the first time.

 

[BruceWayne2]

Last night I watched 007 Casino Royale for the first time in probably 10 years. It might just be my favorite Bond film. Fantastic. Great story, good mystery and intrigue, suspenseful, really good choreographed, creative, thrilling, gritty action sequences (I tend to zone out during big action scenes in a lot of movies). It takes all these well known tropes of the character and reinvents them and presents them in a new way that feels fresh, yet familiar, and just shows a real love for the character. I love how they tied the poker tournament into the storyline

I feel similarly about the way Scott Snyder writes Batman, particularly the Court Of Owls and Zero Year. Thought the Court and this idea of the city of Gotham itself turning against Bruce and flipping the Year One story into this blockbuster science fiction adventure was all such a genius addition to the mythology, while incorporating all these established elements of the mythology.

That's exactly what I'm hoping to see with the next Batman film. I don't think it can be as big of a cultural phenomenon as the Nolan films, but I think with some fresh ideas and a similar attention to the history of the character as Casino Royale, they could top the Nolan films, in terms of a quality Batman story.


And I really have faith that Reeves has what it takes to pull it off, I think much more so than Affleck, as much as I respect his abilities.

I've come to accept that JL will probably a lot closer to your standard superhero flick, and that's fine by me. But the new Batman solo, that's the movie I'm now most interested in hearing about, optimistic about, and excited to see. I'm hoping for something like Logan, that stands apart from the rest as a different kind of movie.