WhenChristopher Nolanannounced thatThe Dark Knight Riseswould be his final Batman movie, most assumed the character would be going into cinematic hibernation for a while. After all, how do you follow up a take on Batman as iconic as the Dark Knight trilogy? Well, we were wrong—consumerism won out in the end. Warner Bros. andZack Snyderannounced their intention to reinvent Batman merely one year afterDark Knight Riseshit theaters with an impendingBatman v Supermanmovie. By now, audiences are familiar enough withBen Affleck’s take on the character—one that’s much older and more war-weary thanChristian Bale’s iteration. But while Batman shares the screen with other superheroes inBvSand next year’sJustice League, we’re also on the cusp of a new standalone Batman movie calledThe Batman.
After years of rumors, Affleck has finally agreed to direct and star inThe Batman, and while details are mum, we learned a few months ago who he’ll be squaring off against: Deathstroke. Indeed,Joe Manganiellois already set to play the villain inThe Batman, and appearing on aMark Madden podcast(viaCBM), Manganiello recently teased Affleck’s unique take on the character:
“When I met Ben we sat down and we talked about, you know, the role. We talked about the movie. His take is a fresh take but I think the audience is going to be surprised. Because it’s a road that no one’s really gone down that’s completely integral to, you know, who Batman is. And I think it’s gonna be refreshing but at the same time completely familiar. But it’s going to take this franchise in a direction that I thinka lotof people are going to be really happy about. It’s going to be gritty and action packed and cerebral and all of those elements that people love about Batman.”
While Batman has gone through many incarnations in the feature film world—from the camp ofAdam Westto the aloofness ofMichael Keatonto whatever the hellGeorge Clooneywas doing—he’s always been a “gritty” superhero, so I’ll be interested to see how Affleck’s take stands apart from the other films—particularly Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
One thing’s for sure: Affleck is a swell director. He’s proved himself adept behind the camera onGone Baby Gone,The Town, and Best Picture-winnerArgo, and his gangster dramaLive by Nightopens in theaters in December. He’s been working on the script forThe BatmanwithGeoff Johns, and Manganiello discussed the caliber of Affleck’s talent:
“Ben’s a great director, man. I mean the last movie that man directed won best picture. He’s got an Oscar for writing. Like, this is all the components to go down as a… everything is lined up for a really really really great movie. Not only a superhero movie but just a great great movie.”
Filming onThe Batmandoesn’t begin until sometime next year—possibly summer—so we still have a ways to go before cameras start rolling. But after Affleck wraps up the upcoming awards season we’ll no doubt start hearing plenty of casting news and such for the filmmaker’s very first superhero movie. Who’s excited?
