Affleck now reportedly wanting out as Batman as well

[MIB41]

All speculation at this point, but I would not be a bit surprised if this is in that conversation. We may never know because I would be very surprised if WB lets Affleck out of any existing contract. The potential fallout and impact from forthcoming projects could be measurable.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjN1ZvlqpzSAhXC3YMKHWvnDqQQFgg5MAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcomicbook.com%2Fdc%2F2017%2F02%2F14%2Fben-affleck-quitting-batman%2F&usg=AFQjCNHbFVaFXsQb74WXjeiN2GpwRQ38qA

Forbes indicated in a less measured tone, that his connection could be in question if the rewrites and continued setbacks persist. So it sounds like classic WB mantra. No clear vision and no one leading the charge.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiEweeyt5zSAhXMyoMKHZhSAIIQFgggMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fsites%2Fmarkhughes%2F2017%2F02%2F08%2Fthe-batman-movie-gets-new-script-new-director-and-likely-2019-release%2F&usg=AFQjCNGO980B_jwkSKPoD8s4hYoqTEyAjA

[hedrap]

I'm really mixed about this. WB gave Affleck total free reign on every project, DC or drama, and none of it has panned out. People dug his Wayne...but what should he get credit for? He didn't direct the action sequences in BvS, but he revised the Wayne scenes. He has never expressed intertest in doing a solo movie, let alone directing one, so why keep him around?

They were stupid to not give the part to Scott Adkins. Now, Scott Eastwood is a serious option. They have a mulligan to play.

[Hedji]

Same old story with WB. I'll just be enjoying the episode of Batman 66 where Penguin Runs for Mayor again.

[PNGwynne]

Same old story with WB. I'll just be enjoying the episode of Batman 66 where Penguin Runs for Mayor again.

That's my favorite episode, Buzz was never better!!!!

[MIB41]

I'm really mixed about this. WB gave Affleck total free reign on every project, DC or drama, and none of it has panned out. People dug his Wayne...but what should he get credit for? He didn't direct the action sequences in BvS, but he revised the Wayne scenes. He has never expressed intertest in doing a solo movie, let alone directing one, so why keep him around?

They were stupid to not give the part to Scott Adkins. Now, Scott Eastwood is a serious option. They have a mulligan to play.

What grabs me is how Affleck walks away from something he had free reign on plus the perceived perks of getting a kind of Downey Jr style career path where he has guaranteed revenue for years to come just doing bit parts in related projects. On the surface it looks like he's spooked by the association. Can we conclude this is the fallout from the commercial disappointments from Daredevil and now Batman or is it a reflection on what we haven't seen in Justice League as well? Principle photography wrapped on that film back in October. Three months later he begins abandoning the Batman project as a director and now maybe even the character? I know it's human nature to assume the worst when the facts are vague, but when you leave big money on the table, there's usually something compelling to make you walk away.

[MRP]

Affleck saw his career go into a downward spiral after Daredevil, and it took a lot of time and effort on his part to rebuild it. He went from golden boy to joke, and he blamed a lot of it on Daredevil (fairly or unfairly). Since BvS, his rep in Tinseltown has taken a hit, and his new golden boy image that he created due to things like Argo, is losing its luster and he very well may be blaming his work on the DC stuff for it this time (again fairly or unfairly) and wanting to get out before his star completely falls again.

Meanwhile, it also looks like Matt Reeves, who WB had tapped to be Affleck's replacement as director on the film has reportedly dropped out of negotiations for that job and does not want to do it any longer, so Affleck doesn't seem to be the only one running away from this project.

-M

[Hedji]

Huh. And there I thought Ben enjoyed a good gamble.

[hedrap]

I think it's more the personal issues for Ben. He never approached Batman with the right motivation because he's done and won everything. Like Clooney or Leo, they've got no creative drive unless it's something that really interests them.

Kevin Smith said Ben took this on so he could tell his kids he's Batman...while at the same time, Ben implodes his family. The trades said it was all about filling Nolan's WB slot, where negotiations were always about wanting that same level of autonomy and blank check. Then Ben himself implied it was a do-over for Daredevil. Forget Smith, cuz he's a shill. So if the trades and Ben are true, then he got his free reign, which didn't pan out, and his Batman checked DD.

A solo film is a huge risk, especially if they're not willing to let him make the exact movie he wants, which is what it's been reading like. So why take that on?

I just don't know what he's going to do. He hints politics, and maybe he's looking at the timing and thinks if he's going to run for something in Cali or Mass, he can't do that and a Batman film.

[thunderbolt]

This will derail any momentum DC/WB is trying to get on its shared universe Marvel copycat. It'll be a bit jarring for audiences to change Bat-Horses in midstream. Couple this with the probable Joker/Leto switchout coming, DC has a mess again.

[MegoSteve]

They should just forget about live action Batman for a while and concentrate on Lego Batman. At least that movie was good. Heck, they could do Lego Justice League as a feature with Adam McKay and I have no doubt it would be better than that terrible looking live action Justice League they're doing. That thing is going to be like the final nail in the coffin for WB's tied-together DC superhero universe ambitions. I hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

At some point, someone at WB is going to have to realize that when you are in a hole, you don't keep digging to try to get out.

[kept back]

At this point I'd almost rather see Will Arnett as a live action Batman with Lego Batman sensibilities.

[Hedji]

Only way to fix it at this point is a full reboot, like Marvel is doing with Spider-Man. Just use Superfriends and Guardians of the Galaxy as inspiration. Make it lighthearted fun. Batman has been dressed in black and brooding for almost 3 decades now. Enough.

[emeraldknight47]

Half joking, half serious----WB/DC should scrap whatever they have done so far regarding their superhero properties (be a nice tax write off) and get in touch with MARVEL Studios to run the cinematic arm of the DC Universe. At least then consumers would (perhaps) get interpretations of the characters they've always wanted to see and WB/DC might actually start seeing bigger box office shares...

[thunderbolt]

There are some parts I would keep like Margot Robie, Gal Gadot, Affleck, Jeremy Irons, Cavill, and the Superman supporting cast and junk the rest, especially Jared Leto, and find a fresh direction for the whole thing. Integrate the CW actors, too. There is no reason not to use Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell.

[Nostalgiabuff]

There are some parts I would keep like Margot Robie, Gal Gadot, Affleck, Jeremy Irons, Cavill, and the Superman supporting cast and junk the rest, especially Jared Leto, and find a fresh direction for the whole thing. Integrate the CW actors, too. There is no reason not to use Grant Gustin and Stephen Amell.

agreed. keeping the successful TV series out of the movie verse if just plain dumb. hell, it would cross advertise and promote. WB is really missing the big picture on the cinematic universe