I’m not sure there’s ever been a movie that’s had as much unconfirmed reports, fake news and speculation surrounding it as Warner Bros. and DC Films’ The Batman, but until we get some official news from the studio (at Comic-Con, perhaps), it seems the rumour mill is going to continue churning.
The latest piece of news comes from Deadline, which is usually solid with its reporting, and claims that the Matt Reeves-directed solo movie is indeed being eyed as a “reboot [for] a new standalone franchise, likely with a new actor to play the Caped Crusader after Ben Affleck’s stints in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League.”
Now, it’s a little unclear here whether Deadline means it will be “standalone” in the sense that it will be completely separate from the DC Extended Universe, similar to the planned Joker origin movie, or – as Reeves has previously stated – “standalone” in the sense that it tells its own story, but still exists within the DCEU world.
Sticking with the trades, THR reports that Reeves turned in a first act of his new script over the Memorial Day weekend, and that it focuses on a young version of the Caped Crusader – which further supports the talk that Affleck won’t be donning the cape and cowl.
SEE ALSO: Rumour: The Penguin could be the villain in The Batman or Birds of Prey
Previous rumours have suggested that The Batman is looking to go into production early in 2019, but if Reeves has only just finished up the first act of the script after close to a year of development, it would seem we’ve still got some way to go before the Dark Knight returns.
