There has been plenty of talk as of late surrounding Ben Affleck's upcoming solo DC Extended Universe film The Batman. Along with reportedly co-writing the feature with DC Entertainment's Geoff Johns, Affleck was scheduled to add the latest outing of the Caped Crusader to his list directorial accomplishments, officially turning himself into the ultimate triple-threat: writer, director, and Batman. But recently, the actor-director has taken a less committed tone when discussing the project, saying it is "not a set thing."
With a script apparently having yet to come together – either at all or to Affleck's liking – his comments raise questions as to whether or not there may be an empty director's chair on the future set of The Batman. While that's far from being confirmed at this point, the film's eventual director – whomever he or she may be – might find themselves filming the movie in a familiar place: Los Angeles, California.
According to a new report from Batman on Film (via ComicBook), an unnamed source has said the project plans to shoot the majority of the film in L.A. Though a specific location was not mentioned, the post goes on to speculate that decision to shoot The Batman in the U.S. and specifically in California, would likely mean a good chunk of the filming will be done on the Warner Bros. studio lot. What that means for the look of the film is unknown at this time, but it may suggest a more stylized look than, say, the refined cityscapes of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy.
However, the unnamed source was unaware the extent to which the production planned to use locations in or around the U.S., which could have a considerable impact on the way the film looks. Presumably, the director will want to throw in a rooftop chat or two between Affleck's Dark Knight and J.K. Simmons' Commissioner Gordon, and unless the plan is to use a backdrop or throw a CGI Gotham City skyline in, there may be a greater call for location shooting than this source is currently aware of.
Then again, as with all reports of this nature, it's best to take the news with a grain of salt. While there are few details about the film itself available to the movie-going public, Affleck's recent comments suggest there isn't even a script in place yet. That could have a dramatic impact on the how and where of filming The Batman, and it says even less to answer the question of when the film will shoot. While co-star Joe Manganiello maintained that production was set to commence this year, more recent news suggests it may not be as soon as he thought.
Still, if the production is reportedly settling on a Los Angeles-based shoot, then the behind-the-scenes goings-on of The Batman may be further along than Affleck is letting on. Whatever the case, this news seemingly answers one question about the film, while raising several more.
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Source: Batman on Film (via ComicBook)
