Deadline is reporting that DC Entertainment CCO and celebrated comic book writer Geoff Johns is co-writing a new Batman movie alongside DC and WB’s latest Batman himself, Ben Affleck. The report also says the actor will direct the film.
Warner Bros had no comment.
That Affleck was to direct in a “Batman” standalone movie isn’t new. The actor made that a condition of his when he signed on to act as Bruce Wayne/Batman in 2013.
The report says the duo “are well in synch and have more than found their rhythm,” but that even if the script gets turned in this summer the movie will be held for some time. Affleck is next due to direct Live by Night, which starts filming in November 2015 and was postponed for his role as Batman in Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Johns has had a very direct hand in live-action adaptations on the small screen, producing and writing for The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, and having a creative hand in other DC Comics adaptations, his level of participation in the big screen adventures of the characters has been less publicized. This would be the most high-profile way to see his presence felt, as the Batman franchise has been DC’s biggest box office success and the vast majority of their focus for 25 years.
While no Batman solo film starring Affleck was on the list of films planned for the next several years that Warner Bros and DC Entertainment released in 2014, executives did caution that they planned to have Batman and Superman films as well, once they had a handle on who would be creating them. Deadline speculates that other films on the list, which include but are not limited to Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot, The Flash starring Ezra Miller, and Shazam starring Dwayne Johnson, may get bumped in favor of Affleck and Johns’ Batman flick.
The Warner Bros studio panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego is scheduled for 10:30am PDT Saturday, so it’s possible that we’ll hear something on this news there.
More on this story as it develops.
