Ben Affleck Doesn't Want to Be The Batman Anymore?

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks for Warner Bros.‘Batmanstand-alone movie, withBen Affleckleaving the project as a director, followed by the studio quickly bringing inMatt Reeves(Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) to take over at the helm. There was another report from last week revealing that a new rewrite of the script, written byChris Terrio, had come in, and all parties involved, includingBen Affleck, were happy with the final story. Today, we have yet another rumor about this project, with more sources claimingBen Affleckdoesn’t want to be Batman anymore.

Before the actor/director backed away as director last month, he had been making the unusual statements about the project in interviews, claiming that there isn’t even a script yet, and that the project isn’t even a “sure thing.” There had previously been reports that bothBen AffleckandGeoff Johnshad turned in their script, beforeChris Terriowas brought in for rewrites. During the latest episode ofCollider Movie Talk, hostJohn Campeaexplained that he has talked to three separate sources connected to this situation at Warner Bros., who all state thatBen Affleckis trying to get out of playing Batman altogether. Here’s what he had to say on the podcast.

“Take this for what it’s worth. This is from a guy who has been burned twice by scoops, so please take this with a massive, massive grain of salt. Over the past four days, I’ve talked to three separate people, who are connected in some way, to what is going on over at Warner Bros. What all three have told me, nothing about whether the script was thrown out or whether they liked the script, nothing about the direction thatMatt Reevesis taking it in, nothing about that. What has come out of the conversation with all three was this. They’re telling me that,Ben Affleck, make no mistake, he does want out. He doesn’t want to beBatmananymore. I have been told thatAffleckis talking with Warner Bros. in an attempt to get out of beingBatman. If they do not let him out of beingBatman, that the stand aloneBatmanfilm that ultimately happens, will be the last time we seeAffleckasBatman, because he apparently wants out.”

This isn’t the first we’ve heard aboutBen Affleckwanting out of theDC Comicsworld altogether, with another report claiming that he is still expected to finish the screenplay. Even thoughChris Terrioreportedly came in to rewrite the script. That report claimed there was “a chance” that he could back away from the starring role, while staying aboard as a writer and producer. That report was never confirmed, and evenJohn Campeahimself cautioned fans to take the own information he has gathered, “with a massive, massive grain of salt,” since he has been burned in the past, so perhaps this isn’t true. However, when paired with that other report from late January, it’s certainly possible that this is actually what is happening.

Ben Affleckstated in December thatThe Batmanwas on track for aspring 2017 production start, but with a new director on board, and the possibility emerging thatBen Affleckmay be trying to get out of this iconic role, we may not see this film hit theaters for quite some time. There were reports that the studio is eyeing a spring 2018 release date, but unless these issues are solved, and production comes together quickly, that seems quite unlikely. Hopefully Warner Bros. will offer a substantial update onThe Batmanproduction very soon. In the meantime, take a look at the latest episode of Collider Movie Talk below, withThe Batmantalk coming at the 17:41 mark.