The Untold Story of Ben Affleck’s Unmade Batman Movie

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Initially, a standalone Batman movie featuring Ben Affleck was intended for release within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), following directly from 2013’s “Man of Steel.” However, this didn’t happen as planned, and instead, we saw him in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a brief appearance in “Suicide Squad,” “Justice League,” and eventually another cameo in “The Flash.” If the Affleck version of “The Batman” had been made, it would have been released sometime between “Justice League” and “The Flash.” The project was scheduled to begin filming in mid-2017 with an anticipated release date in 2018, but ultimately, it never came to fruition.

The planning for a second “Justice League” movie was delayed specifically to make room for “The Batman.” However, similar to the sequel of “Justice League,” production on Ben Affleck’s standalone movie didn’t begin, largely because the 2017 collaboration between Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon did not meet expectations.

Who Would Have Written & Directed Affleck’s The Batman?

In October 2014, news broke about Ben Affleck’s role as Batman in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe), which came approximately 14 months after he was initially selected to play Bruce Wayne. By mid-2015, it was also revealed that Affleck was in talks for both directing and co-writing duties on the film alongside DC Films co-founder Geoff Johns. This project was planned to follow Affleck’s completion of work on his previous directorial, writing, and starring role in Live by Night (released in December 2016). By March 2016, Affleck and Johns had finished the first draft of their script for the movie.

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara made it official in April 2016 at CinemaCon that Affleck would be directing the project. The following month, Jeremy Irons revealed his plans to reprise his character Alfred Pennyworth, and later on in September, Joe Manganiello was chosen for the role of Slade Wilson, more commonly known as Deathstroke.

In January 2017, Chris Terrio completed a new draft of the “The Batman” script, but that wasn’t the only significant event for the film that month. It was also when Ben Affleck stepped back from directing the movie, although he stated his intention to continue acting in and producing it. At first, he explained this decision by saying he wanted to concentrate on his role as the title character. However, later on, he changed his explanation, stating that he wasn’t satisfied with the script and wouldn’t have enjoyed directing it because he believed a director who would enjoy the project would create a better final product.

Additionally, the gentler-than-anticipated market response towards “Batman v Superman” had unsettled the faith of Warner Bros. executives in the DCEU, causing them to slow down the production of “The Batman” somewhat.

Indeed, comparing the two versions of “Justice League” reveals distinct differences in continuity. When Zack Snyder filmed the Deathstroke scene for “Justice League”, it set up the storyline for “The Batman” (which I’ll discuss further soon). In contrast, the theater release features a revised version of this scene that instead sets up the sequel to “Justice League”, hinting at the emergence of the Injustice League.

A month after Affleck announced he wouldn’t direct the film, discussions began with Matt Reeves about taking over. However, following a month of work, Reeves determined that the film featuring Affleck as the lead wasn’t the version he wanted to produce.

What Would Affleck’s The Batman Have Been About?

Affleck’s standalone Batman film was intended to unfold after the events of Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League. It shared some similarities with Snyder’s Batman v Superman in that it drew inspiration from specific Batman tales, but didn’t follow them as closely as he did with Watchmen and 300 in adaptations. The primary sources of inspiration for the script were the “Knightfall” saga from the early ’90s (where Bane fractured Batman’s spine), Grant Morrison’s dark Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth, and the excellent video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.

In this alternative scenario, Arkham Asylum would still be a significant part of the storyline, but Bane wouldn’t make an appearance. Instead, Deathstroke would step into the role of the main antagonist, with the inmates of Arkham Asylum acting as secondary villains.

Essentially, Deathstroke aims to free every criminal from Arkham Asylum to keep Batman occupied and exhaust him. Once Batman is drained, Deathstroke plans to confront him personally. The reason for this elaborate scheme? Deathstroke suspects that Batman played a role in his son’s demise.

In the hypothetical movie, Batgirl might have joined forces with Batman. However, since Leslie Grace wasn’t chosen for the scrapped Batgirl film until July 2021, it would have been a different actress playing that role. Additionally, Robin could have been part of the film, but as a painful recollection in Bruce Wayne’s mind, similar to his remembrance of Robin in Batman v Superman.

As a follower, I must admit that, much like numerous plans for the DCEU, Ben Affleck’s “The Batman” almost materialized but ultimately fell short. However, with James Gunn’s DCU on the horizon, fingers crossed that this revised universe experiences better fortune in bringing projects to life and onto our screens.

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2025-04-27 15:40