RUMOR: Ben Affleck to “Exit” Role of Batman

**Update** Ben Affleck expressed his excitement for working with The Batman director Matt Reeves at San Diego Comic Con on Saturday Morning.

Affleck exclaimed, “I’m the luckiest guy in the world…I would be an Ape on the ground for Matt Reeves. Let alone Batman.”

This wouldn’t be the first time these rumors of Ben Affleck exiting the role of Batman have surfaced. Whispers began during pre-production on Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, where Ben Affleck faced and overcame immense criticism at his having been cast as Batman. As trailers for the film came out many agreed the brief glimpse of “Batfleck” was already turning heads and intriguing many who had refused to accept the then 40-year-old actor as their Dark Knight.

Batfleck

Unfortunately, the film’s release would only fuel the fires of his departure even further as it faced a poor reception by critics and fans alike. Though the rumors were rampant Ben still remained. In fact, his performance is considered one of the few redeeming factors of the bloated blockbuster, if not the highlight of the entire film. While the character’s arc does take Bruce to extremes completely unsuited for any Batman, the conflict he conveyed and the determination-turned-obsession he expressed through the gritted teeth of his jawline turned fans into believers and Ben Affleck into Batman.

With Ben Affleck leading this November’s “Justice League,” it’s hard to believe he’d so readily lose faith in the franchise and its future. That is, unless he’s seen the film. While we may be riding the high of Wonder Woman’s classical and exquisite origin story, we seem to have forgotten just how troublesome everything appeared for this universe. Three blockbusters by a major studio in row, with over $100 million production budgets for each, consistently declining in quality over the course of 4 years and over $3 billion in Worldwide Grosses for the franchise. The latter proved to overcome the former, and it seems the DCEU shall remains so long as the films remain profitable. But Ben Affleck has worked incredibly hard for the last decade to turn his works from literal “Paychecks” to art-house darlings that continue to garner awards and universal praise. There’s a possibility he’s getting tired of being a controversial choice for one of his favorite characters, or he may know something we don’t about this fall’s Justice League.

Plausability

Though plausible, a lot of this falls under speculative fan-fiction of his perceived growing frustration with Warner Bro’s and DC’s film department. Between the #sadbatfleck memes and the disappointing films it’s easy to paint a picture of a Ben Affleck who’s ready to give up. However, there are a few problems with that theory: Ben Affleck’s longstanding relationship with Warner Bro’s and the lack of any real evidence. But it’s plausible that since Matt Reeves retains final cut on “The Batman” Ben Affleck may have a stipulation in his contract that would allow him to exit should he decide the project isn’t for him. This seems more like a logical and pragmatic approach to ensuring you’re only willing to commit to something great rather than a quick exit when the franchise makes another stinker.

It’s doubtful any confirmation or denial will come from DC until tomorrow’s panel in the famous HALL H. DC’s highly anticipated panel is rumored to be debuting a new trailer for Justice League, a debut sizzle reel for James Wan’s “Aquaman”, and a more concrete and optimistic slate for future sequels and debuts. While his future commitments remain unknown, Ben Affleck leads a stellar cast in this November’s “Justice League,” opposite the likes of Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Mamoa, Ray Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Willem Dafoe, Amy Adams and Jeremy Irons.

Will he stay or will he go? Share your thoughts with us below.