Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Batman

  • Ben Affleck Reveals Why He Retired as Batman

    Ben Affleck Reveals Why He Retired as Batman

    Ben Affleck, Batman
    Warner Bros.

    The Batfleck has hung up his cape for good.

    Ben Affleck is retiring as Batman after starring in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” He played a grizzled, older version of Gotham City’s Dark Knight, but now he’s ready to pass the cape to someone else.

    “You know, I tried to direct a version of it and worked with a really good screenwriter, but just kind of couldn’t come up with a version — couldn’t crack it,” Affleck explained on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night.

    “So I thought it was time to let someone else take a shot at it, and they got some really good people.”

    After 2016’s “Batman v Superman,” Warner Bros. began to move forward on a standalone Batman movie, with Affleck to star and direct. But 2017’s team-up “Justice League” wasn’t well-received and there was a sense that the DC universe needed a shake-up.

    Then, Affleck stepped down as director. He would still star, however, under the direction of Matt Reeves (the “Planet of the Apes” movies).

    But a few weeks ago, Warner Bros. and Affleck confirmed that he would not be returning as Batman. Reeves is reportedly looking to cast a younger actor as “The Batman,” which has a release date of June 25, 2021.

    Kimmel held a retirement ceremony for Affleck’s costume, hoisting it to the rafters where it replaced an outfit worn by the actor’s longtime friend and sometimes collaborator Matt Damon:

  • ‘The Batman’ Gets Release Date, Won’t Star Ben Affleck

    ‘The Batman’ Gets Release Date, Won’t Star Ben Affleck

    Ben Affleck, Batman
    Warner Bros.

    “The Batman” will fly in 2021 — but Ben Affleck won’t be wearing the cape.

    Warner Bros. has set a release date for the Batman reboot from Matt Reeves: June 25, 2021.

    Sources have confirmed to multiple news outlets that Affleck won’t return to star as Bruce Wayne, the role he played in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.”

    In 2016, Affleck was attached to direct and star in a standalone Batman movie. In early 2017, Reeves took over directorial duties from Affleck and also began writing his own script.

    But after the success of “Wonder Woman,” and now “Aquaman,” it’s clear Warner Bros. is looking to shake up its DC superhero universe.

    Reeves will not be adapting Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One,” though he reportedly is looking for a younger actor to play the character.

    He did recently reveal that he’s planning to feature “a rogue’s gallery” of villains in the movie.

    Reeves also teased that the movie will show Batman’s sleuthing skills, not just his superhero qualities.

    “It’s very much a point-of-view-driven, noir Batman tale,” he said. “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 Batman’ to Feature ‘Rogues Gallery’ of Villains

    ‘The Batman’ to Feature ‘Rogues Gallery’ of Villains

    Warner Bros.

    All the villains are coming for “The Batman.”

    Matt Reeves, who is writing and directing the next Caped Crusader movie, is planning to have multiple villains bedevil Gotham City.

    “You can’t have Batman without a villain,” Reeves told The Hollywood Reporter. “There will be a rogues gallery.”

    The director is moving ahead with casting those villains, though he wouldn’t comment on their possible identities. Previous Batman films have brought in The Joker, The Penguin, The Riddler, Catwoman, Ra’s Al Ghul, and even Mr. Freeze.

    When asked about Josh Gad’s apparent Twitter campaign to play The Penguin, Reeves only said, “I love Josh Gad. We’re good friends.”

    A lot of things are still up in the air on the project, including Ben Affleck’s status as Batman. The movie still doesn’t have a release date, though Reeves thinks it can be done by summer 2021. Even the title isn’t set in stone.

    “I’m working with it as ‘The Batman’ in my head and that’s what we’ve always referred to it as,” the director said.  “But these things have taken a life of their own. As we go deeper into it, it may become clear, ‘Oh, actually this might be a great spin on the title.’ But as of now it’s ‘The Batman.’”

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    13 Scary Moments That Aren’t in Horror Movies

  • Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 15 Things You Should Get For the Movie Fan in Your Life

    Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 15 Things You Should Get For the Movie Fan in Your Life

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    12 Times Your Favorite Comic Book Movies Scared the Crap Out of You

  • Batman Prequel Series on Alfred ‘Pennyworth’ Casts Young Star

    Batman Prequel Series on Alfred ‘Pennyworth’ Casts Young Star

    Jack Bannon
    ITV

    Before Alfred Pennyworth was Bruce Wayne’s right-hand butler/mentor, he was “a boyishly handsome, cheerful, charming, clever young man.”

    He was also a killer for the British Army’s elite SAS special forces.

    Epix has a 10-episode drama series coming up called “Pennyworth,” following young-er Alfred. The Batman prequel series just cast Jack Bannon (“The Imitation Game,” “Endeavour,” “Fury“) as Alfred for a story set in 1960s London.

    At that point, Alfred was a former British SAS soldier who forms a security company with billionaire Thomas Wayne. (Thomas Wayne, aka Batman’s dad, hasn’t been cast yet.)

    Here’s Epix’s description for Alfred:

    “Alfred Pennyworth is a boyishly handsome, cheerful, charming, clever young man from London. Honest, open-faced and witty; you’d never take him for an SAS killer. Alfred doesn’t know how to reconcile the kind-hearted boy he used to be with the cold, calculated killer he was forced to become. He’s a man on the make, who doesn’t know what to make of himself yet.”

    “Pennyworth” comes from “Gotham” showrunner Bruno Heller but it’s not a “Gotham” spinoff. Unfortunately, Sean Pertwee, who plays a middle-aged (and still handsome) Alfred on Fox’s “Gotham,” will not be involved.

    According to Collider, “Pennyworth” starts production on October 22 in the U.K. There’s no Epix premiere date at this point.

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  • Jon Hamm Wants to Play Batman

    Jon Hamm Wants to Play Batman

    Jon Hamm Mad Men
    AMC

    Jon Hamm wants to wear a different kind of suit for his next role — that of Batman.

    The Emmy-winning former star of “Mad Men” told Graham Bensinger on In Depth that he’s interested in becoming the next Batman.

    “It depends on the script, what the story is,” Hamm said. “I am a huge comic book fan, always have been. I have read comic books since I was nine or younger. And I am pretty knowledgeable about a lot of them. And I like the genre, and I like when they are done well.”

    He added, “I’d probably fit the suit. I’d have to work out a lot, which I don’t love. But, I am sure there is an interesting version of that being out there. And if they wanted to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to do it: why not?”

    Yes, why not? After all, it seems likely Ben Affleck — who played Bruce Wayne in “Justice League” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” — won’t continue on in the role in Matt Reeves’ upcoming “Batman” standalone movie. And Warner Bros. is reportedly looking to recast Superman, now that Henry Cavill is done, so this could be a good time to clear all the DC Extended Universe decks and start over.

    But before you get too excited about Don Draper as the Caped Crusader, Hamm noted, “I have never had a conversation with anyone about it, literally. And I’ve sat in the room with all these guys. I have never been offered anything.”

  • Alec Baldwin Drops Out of ‘Joker’ Movie Just Days After Joining It

    Alec Baldwin Drops Out of ‘Joker’ Movie Just Days After Joining It

    Alec Baldwin Mission Impossible Fallout
    Paramount

    No joke, Alec Baldwin has dropped out of the “Joker” movie that he reportedly only joined a few days ago.

    On Monday, Deadline reported that Baldwin was set to play Thomas Wayne, Batman’s dad, in director Todd Phillips’s film opposite Joaquin Phoenix as the titular villain. The cast includes Robert De Niro, Frances Conroy, Marc Maron, and Zazie Beetz.

    But Baldwin himself threw cold water on the casting report earlier today on Twitter:

    USA Today confirmed with the actor that he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

    “I’m no longer doing that movie,” he said. “I’m sure there are 25 guys who can play that part.”

    Production begins on Sept. 10, so Phillips had better find a replacement soon. Not much is known about the movie, other than that it is a “gritty character study.” But Baldwin’s tweet seems to confirm rumors that Thomas Wayne will be portrayed as a “cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump.”

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    19 Movies You Probably Memorized Because They Were on Cable