Ben Affleck’s time under the cowl might be ending this year but his involvement with the DCU and Batman may not be over. Rumors are mounting that the actor/director could be a creative force behind the camera for the new DC Studio, which James Gunn has confirmed is speculation that has some credence to it.
The filmmaker-turned-exec candidly shared with DC.com that he and fellow DC Studio head Peter Safran have Affleck in the loop. “We’re working with Ben Affleck, who really wants to be a part of our architecture team, trying to bring things together. And he really wants to direct one of our projects and we’re looking forward to him doing that,” Gunn said.
But what could the Academy Award winner for Argo direct? The clear and forgone conclusion is the announced Brave and the Bold film that will reboot Batman in the DCU proper and introduce Damian Wayne, though that is simply a guess at this juncture. Affleck’s recent history as a Frank Miller-inspired version of the vigilante makes him suited for multiple properties.
YouTube scooper Syl Abdul thinks Affleck would be the right fit for The Authority, also announced for the new slate. The “antihero gray area” of the group is a tone Abdul says Affleck could adeptly bring to the screen and it helps that one of The Authority’s most prominent members, Midnighter, routinely gets compared to the darker takes on the Caped Crusader.
That’s one theory but Abdul didn’t stop there. He also addressed the potential of Affleck helming The Brave and the Bold which the YouTuber concedes is more likely. However, he had more to tell everyone as Abdul’s sources clued him in on what else could be in this film currently in development – and let’s say the household sounds bigger than father and son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnSjvC1Ralk
Abdul hears that The Brave and the Bold will be less of a Batman movie and more than a Damian movie because the affair will turn into a Bat Family reunion. The hero, his sidekicks, and a few of his allies through the years who are more often assembled comfortably on the page should finally find themselves in the same place on the big screen.
One of the top roles out of 100 or more Gunn and Safran wish to fill is Nightwing. With Damian there, Dick Grayson can’t be Robin so he will level up as his own man and identity yet again. He did this on Titans, played by Brendan Thwaites, but that show is ending and leaving the door open for somebody else.
Batgirl also seems like she is being recast after the fiasco that the HBO Max movie became. Leslie Grace could fill the role again but reports of her bad reaction to her movie getting canned strongly hint she won’t. This means it’s back to basics with Barbara. Spoiler, Batwing, Batwoman, and other characters could also wind up in the mix.
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