The past month or so has been quite the roller coaster ride, for those who have actively been following the news cycle for the developing DC Extended Universe solo Batman movie. Ben Affleck has been attached to write, produce and star in the film for much of the past year, but raised more than a few eyebrows when he officially announced back in January that he would no longer be calling the shots on the film. This, in turn, fueled rumors and speculation that he might wind up quitting the project altogether, following the rocky reception for the DCEU's first three installments (Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad).

However, it now appears that most of those concerns may have been much ado about nothing. After some back and forth over Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) possibly signing on to direct the movie in Affleck's place, Warner Bros. has now officially confirmed that Reeves is overseeing the project as both director and producer. Moreover, the studio has confirmed that the film's official title is indeed The Batman, as Affleck previously indicated it would be.

While Warner Bros.' press release confirming the news about Reeves refers to the film as The Batman specifically, fans have been quick to notice that Affleck's name is nowhere to be found in said release. Whatever the reason behind Affleck's exclusion from the press release, Erik Davis of Fandango is reporting that (after having followed up on the matter with WB) Affleck is still attached to reprise his role as the Caped Crusader in the movie, until further notice.

Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman V Superman

We here at Screen Rant have made it no secret that we support Reeves being the director of The Batman, based on his previous achievements with blending big-budget spectacle and thematically-rich storytelling on such movies as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Cloverfield - as well as this summer's War for the Planet of the Apes, by the look of it. Between Reeves taking on The Batman (and presumably, overseeing revisions of its script), The Conjuring and Furious 7 helmsman James Wan moving full-speed ahead towards the start of production on Aquaman this May and this year's two new DCEU additions (Wonder Woman and Justice League) generating respectable pre-release buzz right now, the future for DC's shared cinematic universe is arguably looking brighter than ever.

While the reason for Affleck not being mentioned in the press release concerning Reeves' involvement with The Batman has yet to be officially revealed, it might be as simple as WB wanting to keep the focus of the announcement firmly on Reeves, not Affleck. The latter has understandably voiced frustration with having to continuously answer the press' questions concerning The Batman's status - even when he's promoting a completely different film - but has also expressed admiration for his DCEU collaborators; including, DC Entertainment President and The Batman's co-writer, Geoff Johns. Fingers crossed then, it will be smooth sailing hereon out for both Affleck and The Batman hereon out, as far as the movie's PR campaign is concerned.

NEXT: Why Matt Reeves is Perfect to Direct The Batman

Source: Erik Davis

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