Ben Affleck, DC's current Batman, will not only direct a solo film about the character (reportedly titled The Batman) to be released in 2018, but also is co-writing the screenplay with none other than DC Comics' chief creative officer, Geoff Johns.
For those of you unfamiliar with Johns, and now recovering from the alternate squeals of delight or rage-screams of frustration from comic fans everywhere, he is DC's most prolific comic creator in the modern era. He has written for just about every major character in the DC Universe since his hiring in the early 2000s and has injected new life into dozens of older or less-popular characters.
His chief creative officer title, though, also means he has a hand in every incarnation of DC characters in other media. He has worked on Smallville, Arrow, and The Flash and written several episodes of DC's well-received animated shows. He has consulted on the popular Arkham franchise of video games and is basically responsible for representing DC characters anywhere they appear.
 |
Even terrible live shows that exist for... I don't know why.
Seriously, was there a lot of demand for a staged Batman show? |
Reportedly, he and Affleck get on well and have already written some of the screenplay they hope to deliver before the end of summer. Affleck would direct and star in the production after his recently-greenlit Live By Night, a Prohibition-era gangster tale adapted from the novel by Dennis Lehane, the author of what became Affleck's directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. The movie would also see production and release after WB's first Justice League movie, part one of two, slated to be released in November 2017.
What is the story? Who will be in it? It's almost impossible to say at this point. The DC Cinematic Universe hasn't even begun yet, not really. We've had Man of Steel, but the true test of what this new mega-franchise will be comes with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in March 2016. Once we've seen who this new Batman is and what his world is like, we might start to make some educated guesses about what his story will be.
 |
| Besides gloomy and dead parents-y. |
For now, we can assume that in addition to Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons will return as Alfred. It's probable, too, that Jared Leto's Joker will feature in at least one film, and with him Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. Will Smith's Deadshot is an erstwhile Batman villain, too, so there is a chance we'll see him as well as some other cast members of the upcoming Suicide Squad like Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's Killer Croc or Ike Barinholtz's Hugo Strange (whom I didn't even realize was a character in Suicide Squad until literally this moment).
We reported awhile ago that Affleck was under consideration, and perhaps even likely, to direct his own Batman film. The announcement of Geoff Johns' involvement, however, is big. Johns recently released a second volume of his updated comic take on the Dark Knight, Batman: Earth One, Volume Two. DC's Earth One series is meant to be a more modern, standalone take on DC's most popular characters, and a look at those could give us a glimpse as to what kind of Batman we'll get in 3 years. Still, Johns' name was also attached to the disastrous Green Lantern, though in an advisory capacity, not as a screenwriter. He's someone who loves comics deeply, and hopefully this gives him a better chance to express his passion.
Do you think this dynamic duo has what it takes to craft a good Batman movie? Will it be as good or maybe better than Christopher Nolan's take on the character, or is it inevitably going to be terrible? Leave your bat-comments below!
