Famed DC storyboard artist Jay Oliva had the chance to brainstorm some Batman ideas with Ben Affleck, and we are now getting some insight into those early conversations.
Known for storyboarding massive projects like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Wonder Woman while helming iconic animated DC works like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Oliva is quite the name in the industry. Speaking in a new interview, the artist revealed some juicy teases about one of the DCEU’s once-most-anticipated projects.
“I can’t really say too much other than it was fucking awesome,” Oliva recalls to Inverse in a recent interview. “It was the best. It was amazing.” But it seems like the artist has been sworn to secrecy. “Maybe someday I can spill the beans,” he adds, “but I still can’t talk about it.”
As for what was done in terms of pre-production, it seems like a treatment has a few early solid ideas. “From my understanding, there were a couple of drafts of it,” Oliva notes. “When I was brought on, I don’t know whether it was the second draft or something, but it was what Geoff Johns and Ben [Affleck] had shown me.”
Little is known about the project, and even the storyboard artist had no idea of the full scope but teased the project would pay homage to all things Batman. “Ben’s story was gonna cover something that had never really been covered in comics but was building off of storylines in the Batman mythos over the last 80 years and approaching it from a new perspective, ” says Oliva.
“It was very clever, and there were a lot of things about it that I really loved that I wish that had come to fruition,” Oliva says. “It was a really great project in the beginning. Ben had to step away for personal reasons, and I totally understood, but the time that I spent with Ben working on the project was fantastic.”
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Previous reports have teased aspects of what Affleck had planned, with his Dark Knight set to have been joined by J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, and Joe Manganiello’s Slade Wilson. As hinted at in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, there would’ve been more elaboration on Robin’s death caused by the Joker, along with Arkham Asylum comic inspirations.
Originally published August 3, 2023. Updated August 4, 2023.
