We’re pretty sure that The Batman, the first standalone movie for the DC Extended Universe's Dark Knight, will move into production next year, but we don’t have a specific date yet. Joe Manganiello, who will play Deathstroke, suggested that cameras would start rolling by spring, while Jeremy Irons (Alfred Pennyworth) said they would start filming during the summer.
However, Ben Affleck, who is starring as the titular superhero, penning the script, and directing, isn’t willing to rush the project. While speaking at The New York Times' Times Talks (via Batman News), he made it clear that he’s not in any hurry to make The Batman. Claiming that they still "have to get a screenplay and get it together", the actor/director added:
I'm a real believer in not reverse engineering projects to meet a window or a date, but rather when you get the right story, the right idea, the right thing, then you make the movie. That's what we're doing, and I'm hoping to get that done.
Ben Affleck doesn’t want The Batman to end up being a mediocre movie! (Photo Credit – DCEU Wikia)
But you shouldn't think that Affleck lacks commitment to The Batman. He said that he’s "spending a lot of time working" on it, but he has other projects to work on, too. He went on to explain:
If I could, there's nothing I'd love more than to direct a standalone iconic, great Batman movie. But it's been done. Chris Nolan did three really great movies. I'm really mindful of that. I'm not in any hurry to jam the mediocre movie down the pipe. I really want to make sure, if we do it, we get the great version and one that's worthy of tradition of guys like Tim Burton, Chris Nolan, and Christian Bale.
While we would surely love to see The Batman as soon as possible, we don’t want to see the movie’s quality compromised to make that happen. Warner Bros. recently pushed back the untitled Justice League sequel to make room for the Caped Crusader's standalone movie, so it appears that the studio is keen on ensuring that Affleck has all the time he needs.
