Batman Rumors: Jake Gyllenhaal To Replace Ben Affleck As The Caped Crusader
Even before Justice League premiered this weekend, many rumors suggested Ben Affleck was looking for a way out of his Batman role. These rumors are gaining steam as Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly in talks to take over the role of the caped crusader.
Soon after 2016’s Batman v Superman debuted, many fans were wondering when they would be gifted with a solo Bruce Wayne flick in the new DC universe. Superman already had Man of Steel in 2013, and Wonder Woman was already in the works to be released shortly after.
Eventually, The Batman was announced, with Affleck slated to return as Bruce Wayne, but after Dawn of Justice received horrible reviews, it was alleged the actor wanted out. Affleck isn’t receiving the best reviews for Justice League either, furthering speculation it might be his last film with DC. Affleck was originally slated to direct the solo Batman movie himself but dropped out of his position.
Back in July, the Hollywood Reporter hinted Justice League would be Affleck’s last time in the Batsuit. The article claimed DC was looking to “usher out Affleck’s Batman gracefully” sometime in the near future.
THR also noted if the upcoming Batman solo movie turned into a trilogy, Affleck would be in his mid-50s by the time the third movie rolled around.
John Campea of Collider broke the news on his YouTube channel that Gyllenhaal had met with The Batman director, Matt Reeves. Campea claimed these talks were very early, and nothing was close to a done deal. With a nine-year age difference between them, Gyllenhaal could be the better fit for the new Batman.
Gyllenhaal has been in talks multiple times for superhero movie roles, but none came to fruition. The Telegraph noted the 36-year-old was set to star in Spider-Man 2 after Tobey Maguire suffered a serious back injury. Maguire ended up finishing out the Spider-Man trilogy, but Gyllenhaal would audition for another superhero flick soon after.
It’s been reported the Donnie Darko star auditioned for Christopher Nolan’s Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy. Gyllenhaal inevitably lost out to Christian Bale who put Bruce Wayne back on the map.
Gyllenhaal was also offered the somewhat smaller role of Rick Flag in last year’s DC flop, Suicide Squad. Tom Hardy was originally set to star as Flag but dropped out. Joel Kinnaman ended up taking the part in the film, which received horrific ratings.
Justice League is out now in theaters everywhere.
[Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images and Warner Bros. Studios]
