Ben Affleck appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live on February 14th where he explained why he exited the role of Batman.
Affleck tells Kimmel:
“I tried to direct a version of it and worked with a really good screenwriter, but just couldn’t come up with a version that couldn’t crack it. And so I thought it was time to let someone else take a shot at it. They got some really good people, so I’m excited.”
Affleck would conclude the segment declaring, “I’m not Batman.”
Ben Affleck would never actually appear in a solo Batman film. However, he would share the screen with Henry Cavill’s Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. He would also appear as Batman in Suicide Squad and Justice League.
Affleck confirmed he was done with Batman in a Tweet at the end of January.
Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO
— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019
Warner Bros. and director Matt Reeves who will be directing the next Batman film have not announced a new actor to play Bruce Wayne and Batman.
Reeves’ Batman film does have a tentative release date of June 25, 2021. The movie is expected to be a noir story showcasing The World’s Greatest Detective actually using his detective skills. The film is not expected to be based on Frank Miller’s [easyazon_link identifier=”1401207529″ locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]Batman: Year One[/easyazon_link] graphic novel.
What do you make of Affleck’s explanation for exiting the role? Would you have liked to see Affleck stay on as Batman?