At one point, Ben Affleck was ready to direct The Batman. He and Geoff Johns had even begun to write the script. When Affleck eventually decided to step down as both director and writer, Warner Bros. brought in Matt Reeves to direct. It’s already been confirmed that Affleck and Johns’ script is no longer in use, and the new director is committed to putting forth "a new story".
However, a new piece of information has surfaced online about the scrapped script for The Batman. The Wrap's Umberto Gonzalez tweeted that Affleck and Johns drew inspiration from the 1997 mystery thriller The Game. That movie was directed by David Fincher, who also directed Gone Girl, starring none other than Ben Affleck.
Check out the tweet below!
…THE GAME also was the inspiration for the previous THE BATMAN script before Matt Reeves started over. https://t.co/nKYvQ3fMkL
"” Umberto Gonzalez (@elmayimbe) September 12, 2017
Interestingly, Joe Manganiello – who was set to star as Deathstroke in The Batman prior to Reeves' arrival (we’re not sure whether he’s still involved) – liked Gonzalez's tweet, which might confirm its accuracy. Check out this screenshot of the actor's "Likes" page:
Screenshot of Manganiello’s Likes page (Photo Credit – Twitter)
The Game may not hold any records for earnings or critical acclaim, but it was good enough to rank in the seventy-first percentile on Rotten Tomatoes and earn three and a half stars out of four from now-deceased film critic Roger Ebert. Many consider it one of the most underrated movies of all time.
Fincher himself is no fan of The Game. He publicly shared that he regretted making the movie in a September 2014 interview. He also bashed superhero movies in that same interview. In case you haven't watched the Michael Douglas and Sean Penn starrer, check out its trailer and synopsis below!
After a wealthy banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down when he becomes unable to distinguish between the game and reality.
Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns' script won’t be used, but we can be happy about what Matt Reeves is doing with The Batman. The director promised to tell a "noir-driven detective" story inspired by the films of Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense, .
