Batman Could Hang Up the Cowl After 'Justice League'

When Ben Affleck signed on to be a part of the DC Extended Universe, he became a pivotal cog in the entire production of the cinematic universe, not only as the next iteration of the Dark Knight himself. With a massive role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice the once-penned-sequel to Man of Steel, along with major production roles behind the camera as producer to Justice League and writer/director/star in his own solo film, Affleck seemed as though he was ascending into the upper echelon of Hollywood elites.

But sadly, all wasn't well in the DCEU as Warner Bros. entered into the flooded superhero market with Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad. Fan reception and reaction waned and there was severe backlash from longtime fans of the DC characters — leading to many rumors of massive turmoil behind the camera. Now for several months there have been countless rumors swirling about the future of Affleck as The Batman in the DC Extended Universe.

For the most part these rumors have been somewhat minimized by everyone involved, at least until now it seems.

Are We Close to Seeing Another Actor Take Over as Batman?

Let's be honest, DC's lineup moving forward is pretty stacked and it appears as though there will be less and less Batman on screen. Although initial reception for Justice League is positive, it appears that Warner Bros. is phasing Batman out of the mix to focus on the other areas of the DC Universe not yet explored, allowing Affleck a "graceful" exit much like was rumored back in July when The Hollywood Reporter first hinted at the studio's plan to usher out Ben Affleck.

Mixing that rumor with how rapidly Affleck stepped back from his solo film, now being developed by Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes). Although Affleck's original script is being saved "for another day," it begs the question of whether Affleck's days in the batsuit are numbered beyond Justice League?

With Justice League premiering on November 17th, it could be where we see Batman start to hang up his cowl, especially considering his comments while speaking with USA Today about his future in the DCEU, particularly the next Batman film.

[It's] something I'm contemplating. You don't do it forever, so I want to find a graceful and cool way to segue out of it.

That certainly sounds like Ben is seriously considering hanging up the cape and moving on to other adventures. Yet, it seems strange that after only 3 years and two films he would be ready to step down from such an iconic character, when Marvel has had the same actors in their heroic roles for the better part of a decade. Regardless, it seems as though there is something much bigger on the horizon that Warner Bros. is trying to achieve.

How Would This Change the Course of yhe DCEU?

There's a chance that there is a big push from the executives at Warner Bros. to revamp the universe, which likely is where The Flash will take up with the DCEU version of the coveted comic storyline Flashpoint. With this being the direction that WB & DC are heading then it's easy enough to see how the events of Flashpoint could allow Ben Affleck his graceful exit from the franchise and rebuild the universe in a not-so-dark atmosphere, while reintroducing some of the more well received characters like Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman potentially unaltered by the events of Flashpoint.

Flashpoint gives Warner Bros. the ability to recast Batman as a much lighter fare, or even alter his storyline dramatically to tie in with the solo Batgirl film in development by Joss Whedon, Silver & Black, or even new newly cast Shazam film. This new iteration of Batman could be built out of Affleck's original script (co-written by Geoff Johns) as a new trilogy after the universe/timeline shattering Flashpoint — but it's likely that the connection to Affleck will end there, and we will see a new, younger actor step into the batsuit.

What do you think, is it a good time for Ben Affleck to step down?

[Source | USA Today]