Ben Affleck has played Batman in three DC movies to date, but it's safe to say that none of those movies were particularly well received. From the "sad Affleck" meme that did the rounds while he was promoting the critically panned Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice to the commercial failure of Justice League, there has been much speculation that the star will not return to the role again. He has now confirmed this. Sort of.
Following the news that the next Batman movie, titled The Batman, is set to hit theaters in June 2021, Affleck took to Twitter to retweet a story that he would no longer play the role. The original story ran in Deadline carried the headline "Ben Affleck Passes The Torch To Next Generation Of Bruce Wayne." Affleck retweeted this, adding that he was excited for the film, which will be directed by Matt Reeves. Check it out below:
Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019
The Batman was first announced back in 2016, with Affleck attached to star, co-write, and direct. He initially stepped down as director when Reeves came on board, and soon after it was reported that Affleck's script had been abandoned. While Affleck never stated that he was leaving the role, last year it was reported that Reeves' movie will feature a much younger Bruce Wayne.
The Batman hits theaters on June 25, 2021. Earlier this week, Reeves hinted at what fans could expect from the film. "It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale," he said. "It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been."
In related news, DC has also announced the release date of the next Suicide Squad movie. It's simply titled The Suicide Squad, and is not a sequel to the 2017 movie, but a new version written by James Gunn. Gunn was hired by DC to work on the script in October, following his departure from Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gunn is also in negotiations to direct, and that it will "take the franchise in a new direction with a mostly all-new cast of characters and actors."