Round and round we go. It seems like nobody really knows what is going on withBen Affleck’s in development soloBatmanmovie for Warner Bros. at the moment. One second it seems good to go, then the nextBen Affleckhimself will heavily temper expectations. In any case, at this immediate moment, we have some news that implies things are moving ahead as planned, at least on Warner Bros.' side of things. It looks likeBen Affleck’sThe Batmanmay be shooting primarily in Los Angeles. With or without Ben Affleck attached.
TheBatmanfan site Batman on Film is reporting that a source with knowledge of the production has told them the bulk of the filming for thenew Batman moviewill take place in Los Angeles. The report also notes that most of that shooting will be done at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, meaning that most of the movie will probably be shot on a soundstage, as opposed to actually being on location. Here is what their report had to say about it.
“I have been told that the bulk of the filming ofThe Batmanwill take place in Los Angeles - most likely at the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. When asked if any filming will occur on-location or outside of the U.S., he/she wasn’t sure - but is adamant that production is based on LA.”
The fact thatThe Batmanwill reportedly be shooting mostly on a soundstage at the Warner Bros. lot does imply that the movie will be a little more stylized than something likeChristopher Nolan’The Dark Knighttrilogy. There will likely be a lot more green screen and things of that sort, as opposed to actual, physical locations in cities. That would seem to suit the look of theDC Extended Universeso far, but it would also gel with reports that claim a good chunk of the movie may take place inside of Arkham Asylum. That is something that could easily (relatively speaking) be built on a soundstage.
That news seems all good and well, but things have been peculiar and confusing regarding the actual state ofThe Batman. It is seemingly clear that Warner Bros. is determined to make the movie happen sooner rather than later, since it will probably be a huge cash cow.Ben Affleckis attached to direct, star and co-write the script with DCEU headGeoff Johns. However,Ben Affleckhas been a bit, let’s say wishy washy on the state of the movie. Most recently, he walked things back a bit and made it seem as though the movie isn’t a definite thing. Here is what he had to say in an interview with The Guardian.
“That’s the idea. But it’s not a set thing and there’sno script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great I’m not going to do it.”
Given that theDCEU moviesthus far have at best been divisive, it is probably good for fans to hear thatBen Affleckis taking a firm stance and saying he will only do the movie if he truly feels it is right. On the other hand, with reports claiming that the movie is supposed to shoot as early as March, having “no script” forThe Batmanseems like a big problem. Are there issues going on behind the scenes? Are he and Warner Bros. not getting along? Did things not go so great onJustice Leagueand make him rethink things a bit? Is everything fine and he is just being a perfectionist? It is hard to say, but certainly, from the limited information we are getting, things seem a bit unsure.
There is no release date set forThe Batmanyet, but it has been speculated that the movie could be released in July 2018. There hasn’t been much in the way of casting, butBen Affleckwill play Batman,Jeremy Ironswill be back as Alfred,J.K. Simmonswill be Commissioner Jim Gordon andJoe Manganiellohas been tapped to play the villain Deathstroke. We’ll be sure to keep you up to date as more information becomes available.
