
THE BATMAN Reportedly Filming Spring 2019 With Ben Affleck Still On As Producer
If you’ve been following our very own MFR’s reports on Matt Reeves’ The Batman, chances are high that you’ve probably seen him pitch the idea of having Ben Affleck cameo in the film to narrate or bookend the story of what will almost certainly be a rookie Dark Knight. He’s talked about it on more than one occasion, both in articles and pitched it in multiple podcasts. It’s a worthwhile idea that has quickly gathered a lot of support from fans of Batfleck over the past several weeks. And for better or worse, it’s an idea that may have a chance at actually happening.
Production Weekly has reportedly listed production for The Batman to start in Spring 2019, as previously stated by the director. More interesting though is that the list also cites Affleck as a producer for the film. While that could hypothetically be a bit of an empty credit and that Affleck’s involvement in the film might be minor, it does align with director Reeves’ recent comment that he was “still speaking with Affleck.”
If MFR’s theory does end up happening, I personally hope that Affleck cameos only as a disembodied narrator at the start or end of the film like Bob Saget narrating in How I Met Your Mother. The idea of having an older Bruce reflect on a previous case is actually quite clever, but my concern is that Reeves likely wants to cast an actor with a noticeably different look and build than Affleck, based on his reported previous interest in actors like Jake Gyllenhaal and Jake Huston.
While Armie Hammer may be the fan favorite pick for the role, is he actually interested in the gig? Would Reeves want him? What if he wants a shorter actor like Jack O’Connell or someone leaner like Nicholas Hoult? To that end, I think it’d be a more elegant choice to have Affleck do a voice over so that audiences can adapt more easily to the new actor playing Batman.
Whatever happens though, I’m just excited that the wheels are starting to speed up on The Batman. Frankly, Reeves has proven himself to be one of the finest genre filmmakers out there today. I think that his skill in conveying visually-epic-yet-emotionally-intimate blockbusters and his expressed desire to focus on portraying Batman as the World’s Greatest Detective are likely to result in a monster of a Batman movie.
What about you? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!
SOURCE: Production Weekly via Comicbook.com
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