Warner Bros. Looking for New Batman Actor to Replace Ben Affleck?
A new report from Variety just surfaced online stating that Warner Bros. is not going to move forward with a Batman movie starring Ben Affleck and is desperately seeking for a different actor to replace Affleck as Batman.
The studio, according to the source, is “reevaluating its approach” to its movies based on DC comics and that it is not going to move forward with Superman and Batman moves featuring Affleck and Man of Steel star Henry Cavill.
The 46-year-old Ben Affleck first made his appearance as The Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as a burnt out and a grizzled vigilante who discovered a renewed sense of hope during his encounter with Cavill’s Superman, whose own exit from the movie franchise has been speculated in the recent weeks.
Both actors reunited in the Justice League, which was a critical and commercial disappointment for the studio and many fans.
After his three outing as Batman across a trio of films that were bashed by the critics, Affleck was recently said to be interested in reprising his role as the Dark Knight one more time
This report comes from Hollywood life, which states that a source close to Affleck claims that the actor still feels the he “isn’t finished with what he wants to do with the character,” this interest was apparently sparked by Joaquin Phoenix’s intriguing approach towards the Joker character in his origin film, which is set outside the present DC films universe.
It has been theorized by industry experts that ‘high insurance costs’ would eventually force Warner Bros. to replace Affleck as the Dark Knight, who would be extremely expensive to insure on already super expensive productions like a theoretical Justice League sequel or a solo Batman movie.
“More than likely the studio will replace him because the insurance costs are going to go through the roof,” a representative from an undisclosed completion bond company told TheWarp in August right after Affleck entered rehab.
An attorney specializing in bond products and insurance claimed the Ben Affleck would be bondable but would come with an extremely hefty deductible that is going to be “really high” & “probably the budget of the film.”
More recently, 28-year-old actor Jack O’Connell (Money Monster, Unbroken) was being, reportedly, considered for the role.
This rumor comes after a report which was published back in June by Hollywood Reporter, which claimed the Reeves’ Batman script centers around a younger Bruce Wayne, instead of Affleck’s more experienced, middle-aged version of the vigilante, effectively precluding Affleck from starring as Batman.
Although the plot details and any further plans regarding the movie still remain unclear, Reeves has only characterized his upcoming film as noir-driven detective story which, according to some recent reports, will not be based on Batman origin tale from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One or any other comic book story in that case.
Warner Bros. has not announced any date for The Batman film, yet.
