Everything We Know About Ben Affleck’s Unmade Batman Movie

In July 2015, after Ben Affleck had been cast as Batman but before he’d made his on-screen debut, Variety reported that he was in negotiations to direct, produce, and star in a Batman solo movie that he would co-write with Geoff Johns. At the time, Batman v Superman and Justice League were already in the works, and this solo adventure was lined up as Affleck’s next directorial effort after his old-school gangster flick Live by Night, which, by then, was still in pre-production.

At San Diego Comic-Con in 2016, when Warner was trying to hype up Justice League after the mixed response to Batman v Superman, Affleck was confirmed to be directing his own Batman solo film (via The Guardian). This would’ve made Affleck the first Batman actor to direct himself in a Batman movie (and he’s proven with gems like The Town and Best Picture winner Argo that he’s up to the task). Affleck compared the challenge of directing a new Batman movie to the challenge of mounting a new production of a classic play. Since a lot of previous artists have already done their own interpretation of the material, and diehard fans all have their own expectations, he felt “a tremendous amount of pressure,” but also found it “inspiring.”

However, in January 2017, Variety reported that Affleck had stepped down as director. His solo Batman movie was still on track, but he wouldn’t be in the director’s chair. The next month, Deadline reported that Matt Reeves had been hired to direct and co-produce the movie. By this point, it was unclear whether Affleck would still be starring in the film or Reeves would be recasting the role, but it did bear the title The Batman. Chris Terrio, who wrote Argo and worked on the scripts for BvS and Justice League, had rewritten Affleck and Johns’ initial draft, and Reeves was expected to work from that.

During the Justice League debacle, as Joss Whedon replaced Zack Snyder, critics blasted the film, and it bombed at the box office, there were rumors flying around that Affleck’s Bat-tenure would soon be cut short. Affleck officially stepped down from the role in early 2019, and Reeves’ movie morphed into a total reboot. Reeves wrote a whole new script with Peter Craig and an uncredited Mattson Tomlin, about a younger, more inexperienced Bruce Wayne fighting crime in a brand-new vision of Gotham City, and cast Robert Pattinson to play this “Year Two” Caped Crusader.

The only thing that remained from Affleck’s version of the movie was the title. But what was Affleck’s cancelled Batman movie about, and how would it have fit into the larger DCEU canon?

Deathstroke Would’ve Been A “Horror Movie Villain” In Ben Affleck’s Cancelled Batman Movie

Deathstroke was the main villain of Affleck and Johns’ original The Batman script. Joe Manganiello was cast in the role, and he’s since revealed what his storyline would’ve entailed (via ComicBook.com). In the movie, Deathstroke would be led to believe that Batman was responsible for his son’s untimely passing, and he would go on a warpath to kill everyone Batman loves. Deathstroke would be depicted as a “horror movie villain” in the mold of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, relentlessly massacring Batman’s closest loved ones. Manganiello likened it to David Fincher’s cult-classic psychological thriller The Game. Suffice to say, it sounds incredibly dark.

Snyder enjoyed this story so much that he included Manganiello’s Deathstroke at the end of Justice League. He put in a scene where Lex Luthor reveals Batman’s secret identity to Deathstroke in order to help set up Affleck’s Batman v Deathstroke movie. (The scene was tweaked in the theatrical version, but restored in the Snyder cut.) Reeves ended up using Batman villains that have been done to death — Catwoman, the Riddler, the Penguin, even the Joker in a cameo role — but Affleck was planning to use an awesome villain who’d never been in a Batman movie before.

Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie Would’ve Been Set Largely In Arkham Asylum

In an interview on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, cinematographer Robert Richardson (who was attached to The Batman when Affleck was supposed to direct) confirmed that the majority of Affleck’s Batman movie would’ve taken place in the creepy halls of Arkham Asylum. In fact, it would have taken inspiration from the iconic video game of the same name. That game sees Batman fighting for his life as he’s forced to spend a night imprisoned among his own rogues’ gallery in Arkham Asylum. This setting would’ve had endless opportunities for spooky visuals, endless opportunities to feature beloved Bat-villains, and it would’ve set it apart from sprawling epic Batman movies like BvS and The Dark Knight Rises with a contained, claustrophobic setting.

Richardson is a three-time Best Cinematography winner who’s worked with Scorsese and Tarantino. He shot JFK (no pun intended), Kill Bill, Hugo, and Django Unchained. He’d previously lensed Live by Night for Affleck, and when The Batman fell apart, they worked together on Air instead. It would’ve been fascinating to see what Richardson would’ve done with the dark catacombs of Arkham Asylum, and the gloomy Gotham skylines.

There was another rumor floating around that the movie would take place almost entirely outside Gotham, sending Bruce on a globetrotting James Bond-style adventure. I can’t decide which sounds more awesome: a globetrotting Batman adventure, or a Batman haunted house movie.

Batfleck Would’ve Teamed Up With Batgirl

Perhaps the most interesting detail about Affleck’s Batman movie is that it would’ve involved a team-up with Batgirl. The last time this was attempted in a live-action movie, in Batman & Robin, it was an unmitigated disaster. But according to /Film, Affleck and Johns’ The Batman script culminated in a climactic showdown where Batman would join forces with Batgirl to fight Deathstroke. Warner Bros. had been developing a solo Batgirl movie for a while, and even after Affleck’s Batman movie fell apart, the studio shot a Batgirl film in its entirety before it was abruptly shelved by new management for a tax write-off.

Matt Reeves’ The Batman ended up being a great new take on the character: a grounded detective noir with gorgeous, moody cinematography. But I’d still love to see Affleck’s Batman movie someday. The Deathstroke massacre, the Batgirl team-up, Arkham Asylum as seen through the eyes of Robert Richardson — it all sounds amazing.

Sources: Variety, The Guardian, Deadline, ComicBook.com, Happy Sad Confused, /Film