The Bat Man Things We Know So Far ( follow me for more )

Some fans can't get enough of him while others are unconvinced, but Batfleck isn't going anywhere for a while.

Ben Affleck's moody Caped Crusader is gearing up for Zack Snyder's superhero mash-up Justice League, and his first solo outing is also on the horizon.

The Batman was penciled in for a 2018 release, and while that might be ambitious since it recently changed directors, details about the movie are trickling in.

The story will follow on from the Dark Knight's appearances in Justice League and its predecessor Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and serve as a key chapter in Warner Bros' rapidly expanding DC cinematic saga.

Affleck was originally down to write, direct and star in the film, but recent developments have scaled his role back, with War for the Planet of the Apes helmer Matt Reeves now overseeing the project.
One of our villains has already been confirmed (sort of), along with the lowdown on returning cast and crew, plus a some tidbits about the movie's tone. Add a few rumours and leaks into the mix and The Batman is starting to take shape.

After Ben Affleck vacated the director's chair, rumours began to fly that the seasoned actor was planning to ditch the cape and cowl entirely.

Matt Reeves recently addressed this speculation during a press junket for War for the Planet of the Apes, telling Getty that Batfleck is absolutely part of the project.

However, previous reports suggest Affleck is growing disillusioned with the DC cinematic universe amid lukewarm reviews and fan discontent, so his long-term future as the Caped Crusader is by no means etched in stone.

His departure would be a hefty blow to Warner Bros' superhero ambitions, with the studio banking on his involvement in future Justice League sequels, Batman follow-ups and no doubt a number of other films in a cameo capacity.

Let's hope they manage to pin him down indefinitely because having to recast such a recognisable character so soon could be damaging for the DC movie line.

Deathstroke was named as The Batman's villain last summer and Joe Manganiello was cast as the one-eyed hitman, but there could be a twist in this tale.

Matt Reeves is believed to be overhauling Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns's script for the film, and it's unclear whether Slade Wilson will survive through the extensive rewrites.

Adding to the uncertainty, The Batman's production schedule has shifted since Manganiello signed up, so who knows whether he's able to fulfill his commitment?

“Umm. Maybe. We’ll see,” was his coy response when Pittsburgh Today Live asked him whether he is still playing Deathstroke in The Batman.

Well, that's cleared that one up.
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The last time we saw J.K. Simmons in a superhero movie he was busting Peter Parker's balls from the editor's chair of the Daily Bugle.

Now he's set to become one of the few actors to cross the great Marvel-DC divide by taking on the role of iconic Batman ally Commissioner James Gordon.

Simmons will make his first appearance as the Gotham City lawman in Zack Snyder's Justice League before reprising the role alongside Ben Affleck in The Batman.
We got our first look at Gordon 2.0 via Snyder's Twitter account when the filmmaker posted a stylish noir photo of Simmons's character in Bat Signalling mode.

Bruce Wayne is the greatest detective in the DC Universe, but this aspect of the character has been largely overlook in his previous screen outings.

And that's something Matt Reeves wants to set right in The Batman, which he has describes as "an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman".

He told New Trailer Buzz...

“I think there’s a chance to do an almost noir-driven, detective version of Batman that is point of view driven in a very, very powerful way that is hopefully going to connect you to what’s going inside of his head, and inside of his heart.”
This lines up neatly with past comments from Ben Affleck, who claims his Batman script presents the character as “the world’s greatest detective” against a backdrop that loosely compares with 1941 noir drama The Maltese Falcon.

Let's just hope the cinema screen doesn't become a mess of neon colours a la the Arkham Asylum video games when Batman enters Detective Mode.

In a move that will please Batman v Superman's most fierce critics, DC cinematic universe steward Zack Snyder appears to have no involvement in The Batman.

The Man of Steel helmer is overseeing Justice League and was credited as producer on Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, but there's no evidence to suggest the Dark Knight's next solo outing will bear his fingerprints.

Matt Reeves is said to have been handed complete creative control on The Batman and will also produce the film alongside Ben Affleck, Dylan Clark and Geoff Johns.

Warner Bros' decision to keep Snyder away may have been influenced by the critical response to Batman v Superman and Man of Steel. Indeed, his co-producer on the former, Charles Roven, also has no involvement in The Batman.

Jeremy Irons wasn't your traditional Alfred Pennyworth in Batman v Superman, but he'll be back as Bruce Wayne's faithful ally in Matt Reeves's upcoming effort.

His incarnation of the character has more in common with a head of security than a butler, which is no bad thing when the job description includes piloting the Batwing.

Irons will next reprise his role in Justice League, but don't expect him to have a great deal of screen time in a movie with six lead characters, only one of whom he is formally employed by.

Speaking to Variety, the British actor confirmed the news Alfred fans (they exist, right?) were waiting for - the butler will have a bigger role in The Batman:

"Of course, Ben’s going to make a Batman film next summer. He promises me there’s going to be a bit more of Alfred in that."

Although Matt Reeves is expected to rework the script he inherited from Ben Affleck from the ground up, elements of the screenplay are likely to survive the process.

Affleck has dropped a few hints about what we can expect from The Batman story-wise, and it won't be a direct adaptation of any existing comic book storyline.

However, the man himself has admitted that his script drew influence from classic Batman comics and cherrypicked ideas from the character's rich history.

Speaking in the run-up to Batman v Superman's cinematic debut, Screen Crush quotes Affleck as saying:

"I think what I would do is, I would probably do in some ways what Zack [Snyder] did with this movie, which is to borrow certain things from great comic books but create an original story around it because I wouldn’t want fans to already know the story and be familiar, but I would borrow and steal great things that have been done before in the comics."
This has pretty much been Warner Bros strategy for every DC movie so far, so it comes as little surprise that the Batman won't buck the trend. We're just thankful we won't have another origin story on our hands.

Warner Bros are yet to officially announce where The Batman is being shot, but if reports from Batman on Film are to be believed, Los Angeles is hosting Gotham City.

The bulk of the movie is likely to be filmed at Warner Bros' studios in Burbank, possibly on a soundstage.

This would make The Batman a more stylised offering than Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy, which was shot on location in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

Presumably segments of the new film will be filmed on location, but Warner is keeping its cards close to its chest on this one for the time being.