Oh, boy. So, we can take all the bluster surrounding Ben Affleck’s solo Bat-flick, The Batman, in one of two ways: DC/Warner Brothers have no idea what the hell they’re doing with their cinematic universe, struggling like hell to figure it out through panic-induced, reactionary maneuvers. OR, they just want to make sure The Batman absolutely hits the mark, something more important than hitting a preconceived theatrical release date.
Well, whatever the reasoning, sources close to Screen Rant have discovered that the script to The Batman, formerly handled by Affleck, DC’s CCO Geoff Johns, and screenwriter Chris Terrio, is now being rewritten from the ground up.
Now, all this might smell of something disastrous, but perhaps this is everyone taking a step back, gaining some perspective, and focusing more on creating a quality film than hitting the aforementioned debut date. This also gives new director Matt Reeves a chance to involve himself in the scriptwriting process and tailor the film more to his sensibilites. And no, that last bit isn’t a bad thing at all.
Now, about that projected 2018 release date…
Variety’s own Justin Kroll spilled the ‘deets’ via Twitter explaining why The Batman will more than likely be delayed:
Hearing Matt Reeves contracted to work on APES till at least end of June, so production on BATMAN likely not starting till 2018
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) March 14, 2017
And, because Reeves isn’t meeting with potential cast members until the summer, any casting rumors beforehand could be utter BS.
Also means any casting rumors you hear are likely BS seeing that he wouldn’t have time to meet with any talent till at least July
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) March 14, 2017
But…What About Deathstroke?
So…what does this mean for Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke?? In the now-defunct Affleck/Johns/Terrio script, Deathstoke was going to be a significant baddie in The Batman film. He’s apparently in Justice League, and we even saw some raw test footage of the enhanced assassin as he stalked about Batman’s troop transport, The Flying Fox. If the script is going back to ‘stage 0,’ it’s possible Deathstroke might be ‘written out’ and replaced by a more recognizable foe. Joker, anyone?
So, what do you think? Is DCÂ still scrambling behind-the-scenes, or is this what goes on to stop the scrambling once and for all to produce the very best Batman movie ever?
I think WB/DC might not have made the best decision when hiring Matt Reeves. Not only is he committed to another film for another 3+ months, followed by promotion for that film, “The Batman” was supposed to be a priority film for the studio and everyone at WB, Affleck, and Johns were happy with the Terrio rewrite. They were simply looking for a director to shoot that film, but Reeves flexed his muscles for that creative control and, without even flirting with any other potential directors who could’ve been better suited, they caved and gave it to him. Let’s hope they know what they’re doing, as the film now sits on the sidelines while a new script gets written … followed by God-only-knows how many rewrites, because the truth is, every script goes through multiple revisions. I’m, personally, not drinking Reeves Kool-Aid — at least not now — so I guess we can only wait and see what happens over the next, what 4 – 6 months while a new script gets written from the ground up? If not longer? Yeah, this sounds much worse than the carefully-crafted script written by an Academy-Award winning Screenwriter (and a comic legend), and revised by another Oscar winner. So … go ahead Reeves and shake things up. But, you’re obviously, worrying more than just lonely little me aS you do so.
Comments are closed.