Ahead of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s theatrical release, we questioned if the poor reviews for the film would stop Warner Bros. from making the standalone Batman franchise with Ben Affleck. Although we don’t have a definite answer on whether or not Affleck will direct and star in a standalone film, the actor recently revealed a significant fact that points to the star being on board for the movie.
During a recent interview, Affleck revealed that he’s working on something with comic book writer Geoff Johns. Considering Johns name has been attached to the solo Batman film, it’s safe to say that Affleck and Johns are collaborating for the upcoming film .
Ben Affleck Confirms ‘Batman’ Solo Movie? https://t.co/ZBORYdzEID #Batman #BatmanMovie pic.twitter.com/52i5QCqJep
— MovieWeb (@movieweb) March 25, 2016
“Geoff Johns is a brilliant guy. I consider him to be the most valued resource on all things comic book. And every time I like something in a comic I mention, he goes, ‘Oh yeah, I wrote that.’”
Here’s the real reveal. Ben continued to sing Johns’ praises while cryptically hinting at a solo Batman film.
“He and I are working together on something and I really am excited about it and I love him. He’s the best.”
If this sounds like old news, it’s because it is. This is the first time Affleck is talking about his collaboration with Johns, but news broke of this possibility back in July of 2015.
At the time, Deadline Hollywood reported that Affleck and Johns were teaming up to co-write the solo Batman film. The site reported that Affleck and Johns were “in sync” with each other and have “found” their rhythm while writing the script. It was said that they would hand in this script before the end of the summer.
‘ @BenAffleck ‘All But Confirms Rumors That He’s Writing A Solo #Batman Film With @geoffjohns https://t.co/RIBfFDfObM pic.twitter.com/oAmX5iF4zx
— ComicBookMovie.com (@ComicBook_Movie) March 24, 2016
We haven’t heard that a script was finished for the solo Batman film, but odds are Warner Bros. is keeping everything under wraps. As for the time frame, a source told Deadline that shooting would begin after Affleck finishes with Live By Night . We don’t know if that means finished in terms of post-production, as the film just wrapped, or finished as in the film is released and in theaters.
Affleck still has to film Justice League and presumably Justice League 2 before he can entertain the idea of a solo Batman film. Back then, Deadline said that the character of Batman will follow the lead of the plots from Batman v Superman and Justice League . Seeing as Justice League starts shooting in April, it will be a while before we see a solo Batfleck film. That said, the fact that Affleck is still talking about his collaboration with Geoff Johns is a good sign that Warner Bros is going forward, even after the negative reviews of Batman v Superman . It’s not that big of a surprise, because the film is poised to make a nice return at the box office.
The last we heard about a solo Batman film, Affleck said , “For me, as a director, it’s about the material and the characters, so if I found the right material, I would definitely throw my hat in the ring to direct something on this scale. I’m definitely bolder now, certainly having learned from and watched Zack and Chris put this movie together.”
The DC Universe isn’t lost for Warner Bros. yet. Even though critics have slammed Batman v Superman , Affleck has been universally praised for his grim approach to the Frank Miller-inspired hero, and most are still interested to see Affleck in the director’s chair for the solo Batman film. Looks like we’re one step closer.
[Photo by Warner Bros.]