The bad news for fans of the DC Extended Universe is thatBen Affleckis no longer going to directThe Batmanfor Warner Bros. The good news is, the studio is not messing around when it comes to filling the director’s chair, as they are going after some truly top-notch talent. Recently, it was reported thatCloverfieldandDawn of the Planet of the ApesdirectorMatt Reevesis the studio’s top choice for the job and they are just waiting on the deal to get done, since he has already committed to directing the movie. Should things fall apart, apparentlyAlienandBlade RunnerdirectorRidley Scottis hanging out on the sidelines to direct.
The news broke just before the weekend thatMatt Reeves, who was the rumored frontrunner to directThe BatmanwhenBen Affleckofficially stepped down, had committed to doing the movie. That said, it was noted by Variety that the deal was not done. While it seems unlikely the deal won’t get finalized, these negotiations do fall apart sometimes and given the problems this movie has faced so far, it isn’t an impossibility. Should that happen,The Hollywood Reporternotes thatRidley Scottis “in the wings” to direct. It is unclear if Warner Bros. has talked to him yet or if he is just a name they are interested in, but the idea ofRidley ScottdirectingThe Batmanis surely enough to make any DC fans ears perk up.
THR also indicated thatDon’t BreathedirectorFede Alvarezis also hanging out, waiting for a call ifMatt Reevesdoesn’t wind up directingThe Batman. He seems like a more realistic and also probably great choice to direct the movie, but there is no question thatRidley Scottis more surprising and probably much more interesting to fans of Batman. What is most surprising about his name being thrown around is that,Scottrecently revealed that he passed on severalcomic book moviesin the past and that he isn’t particularly interested in doing a superhero movie. Here is what he had to say.
“[I’ve been asked] several times, but I can’t believe in the thin, gossamer tight-rope of the non-reality of the situation of the superhero. I’ve done that kind of movie, Blade Runner really is a comic strip when you think about it, it’s a dark story told in an unreal world. You could almost putBatmanor Superman in that world, that atmosphere, except I’d have a f**king good story, as opposed to no story!”
Recently, it was reported that, after quite a few reported script problems, the most recent draft ofThe Batmanis very solid and madeBen Affleckand Warner Bros. very happy. The most recent rewrite was done byArgoandJustice LeaguescribeChris Terrio, and it seems like he managed to sort things out. It is unclear ifRidley Scotthas seen that script and is actually interested in the take or if Warner Bros. merely feels confident enough in the story to be able to court him to the director’s chair. Either Way, THR is a generally very reliable source, so there must be something to the mention ofRidley ScottandFede Alvarez.
At the moment, Warner Bros. has not set a release date forThe Batman, butBen Affleckis still going to star in and produce the movie, which is expected to shoot sometime this year. SinceRidley Scotthas all but finished his work onAlien: Covenant, he would seemingly be free to direct the new soloBatmanmovie. As forFede Alvarez, he also could probably make room in his schedule should Warner Bros. give him the call. This could all be for not ifMatt Reeves' deal is finalized, which it likely will. Still, it should comfort DCEU fans to know that seemingly every director on the studio’s list is very qualified for the job.
