Last week, after sad Ben Affleck was bummed out about people asking him about Batman instead of his other movie, he dropped out of directing The Batman. Now reports have emerged that, since his departure, the movie's entire script is up in the air, and Warner Bros. is looking for someone else to take the helm.
According to a report from Forbes, "the script originally penned by Affleck and Geoff Johns was rewritten by scribe Chris Terrio (whose Argo screenplay won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and who did a page-one rewrite on Batman v. Superman), but the project will undergo substantial changes and possible/probably another full rewrite."
Now, pre-production of a movie always has twists and turns, but studios tend to be a little more in control when it comes to major franchises worth a lot of dollar signs. Affleck hasn't been shy about the pressures of working on the project, and Method Actor Jared Leto certainly had his own complaints with Suicide Squad. It's also possible that Warner Bros. is being extra careful with the next Batman installment after the overwhelming negative response to Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad.
What's really concerning is the Forbes report's speculation that Affleck might completely leave the film. While Affleck left the director chair open in order to focus on acting in the movie, it's possible that he could be distancing himself from the film entirely:
Now, we face another round of slow leaks, with word about continued script problems and the possible need for the new creative team to go back to the drawing board, and rumors that Affleck might continue slowly stepping away from the project.
Superhero movies in particular are always subject to overwhelming scrutiny, but there certainly seems to be a good amount of chaos going on with The Batman right now. Keep in mind, though, that the same reports came out about Rogue One last summer, and that movie went over pretty well with fans.
