After Ben Affleck stepped down as director of The Batman, we heard a flurry of negative gossip about the project. One rumor suggested that Affleck would also hang up his cape and cowl, but that was recently debunked by director Matt Reeves. However, it appears that at least one rumor turned out to be true.

In March, we learned that The Batman script – originally penned by Affleck and Geoff Johns, and later polished by Chris Terrio – was being rewritten from the ground up. According to the rumor, Reeves wasn't interested in taking on leftovers. He wanted to be actively involved and tailor the movie to his sensibilities.

While that made sense, it was hard to be confident about it amid so much negativity. But Reeves has confirmed that they are indeed starting over again. During the director’s recent guest appearance on MTV's Happy Sad Confused podcast, host Josh Horowitz asked whether Affleck's script would be used. Reeves’ response:

No, it's a new story. It's just starting again. I'm excited about it. I think it's going to be really cool.

A fresh start can often be viewed as a good sign because it signifies the filmmaker's autonomy within the project. Reeves recently indicated that he wants his perspective to come through, despite being a part of “an enormous system”. And we certainly don't want to see another director leave the DC Extended Universe because of “creative differences”.

The fans are concerned that a script rewrite might eliminate Joe Manganiello’s character, Deathstroke. To be honest, this character announcement was one of very few in the shared universe that fans greeted with great enthusiasm and appreciation. At this point, it remains to be seen whether Manganiello will still play the world's greatest assassin in The Batman.

Share your thoughts on these tidbits about The Batman, and stay tuned for the latest updates!