After a couple of months of Ben Affleck saying either that he would direct The Batman or that nothing is certain, the moment of truth arrived. He finally announced that he would step down from the director's chair, saying that Batman requires his entire attention as an actor, so he wouldn’t be able to focus on directing the flick, as well (though he will still produce it).

It was also pretty obvious that he wasn't used to receiving so much attention from fans.

So, why did he leave the director’s post? Well, his friend Kevin Smith might have an answer, though the Dogma director said that the two hadn't spoken in quite a while. Smith added that Affleck finally realized which Batman movie came before this reboot, and decided that he would most likely never meet the fans' expectations.

I haven't spoken to him in years, but here's my take on it. Here's my hot take. What's the upshot? Seriously. Everybody wants that to be the greatest Batman movie ever made, and you know, in many cases, maybe the greatest Batman movie ever made has been made.

It's called The Dark Knight, and it's a pretty wonderful film. If that's your bar for a Batman standalone, Chris Nolan couldn't even measure up to himself with The Dark Knight Rises. I liked it, but it wasn't received nearly as well. Let's be honest, that Joker portrayal is for the ages. F***** beyond brilliant and s***. (via We Got This Covered)

And Kevin Smith might be on to something. While many believe that Affleck's portrayal of the Dark Knight might be the best yet, Christopher Nolan managed to make a superhero flick into one of the best movies ever. And not even Christopher Nolan could equal this success in The Dark Knight Rises.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Affleck isn’t a good director. On the contrary - but it does mean that he’s playing it safe. As with Daredevil, if the Batman reboot fails, he won't be the only one to be blamed.

What do you think?

For the moment, it appears that The Batman won't make its 2018 deadline.