Matt Reeves' Batman Summer 2021 Release Date & No More Batfleck

Well, it’s official, the news we were expecting but never truly wanted has come true as Ben Affleck WILL NOT be returning to play Batman for Matt Reeves’ The Batman.

Deadline broke the story stating Reeves will be focusing on a younger Batman and the DC film has been given a release date of June 25, 2021.

The release date makes sense as Batman is a character that can dominate the summer box office as proven by Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy and it also says to me that it’s every likely filming will begin this summer.

There’s been rumours around Affleck not returning for years now after he stepped away from directing and was replaced by Reeves in February 2017 and according to Variety the Planet of the Apes prequel/sequels filmmaker are giving a “final polish” to his script with studio execs being “very happy with early versions of Reeves’ draft”.

It sounds like Reeves will meeting with potential actors with the US trade stating no details have been revealed but the young of Bruce Wayne is beginning discussed. As some of their sources think the director does want someone young in their mid-20s, the youngest we’d ever see someone play Batman, but others think the studio will want someone a little older.

Reeves will be producing alongside his Apes producer Dylan Clark.

While I know plenty of DCEU fans are upset by this news, I’m more content and actually happy this saga is over.

IMAGE VIA CLAY ENOS/ WARNER BROS

Mainly because the filmmaker won’t need to answer the Affleck questions anymore as well as moulding this character to how he wants to see him. Meanwhile, as for Affleck, the Oscar winner will be busy starring and producing the adaptation of Kate Alice Marshall’s novel I Am Still Alive, will start doing press for Netflix’s Triple Frontier, re-teaming with Gavin O’Connor starring in Torrance with the possibility of a sequel to The Accountant.

We also have his Dark Knight in Batman v Superman, which continues to be the best ever live-action version of Bruce Wayne and Batman. We also never know, Affleck could always come back in the cowl for the adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns in the future.

Then there’s still the health issue side of things, which is the most important.

The actor even tweeted his blessing and excitement.

Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) 31 January 2019

This news broke overnight in the US as earlier in the evening Reeves spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about his work on TV, his Netflix deal and of course The Batman (not the official title, but will likely be the official title if nothing better comes up).

The director reveals his film will be “very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional.

“It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I'd love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it's going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.”

This quote alone should get fans and moviegoers incredibly excited as this is something we’ve never seen in previous Batmen, apart from the bullet scene in The Dark Knight. Plus, if you’ve seen his Planet of the Apes films you know he handle characters and emotions superbly.

IMAGE VIA 20TH CENTURY FOX

I mean I was rooting for the apes to kill all the humans!

Conversations will now move to casting and unveiled that they’ll be a rogues gallery and it’ll begin soon and went on to add the film could probably get a late spring and summer 2021 release.

All this info does sound like we're going to get something similar to DC Comics classic story The Long Halloween with the noir, detective story with multiple villains.

IMAGE VIA DC COMICS

Moving forward we’ll be getting reports in a couple of months of a possible shortlist and I wouldn’t be surprised if they do cast a 27/28-year-old. Moreover, Warner Bros have the perfect opportunity to send Reeves to San Diego Comic Con this year to say hello, briefly talk about Batman and unveil the new Bruce Wayne and maybe some of his rogues gallery.

Furthermore, starting filming this summer would give Reeves two years to film, edit and any other post-production work including reshoots and I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes to set up base in the studio’s Leavesden Studios.