What was the original version of 'The Batman' going to be and why did it never happen?
The new Matt Reeves film The Batman has long made it apparent that it doesn’t occupy the same continuity as other recent live-action DC Comics blockbusters. This has only been reinforced by recent developments concerning The Batman spawning a prospective standalone universe of TV spin-offs. All these traits make it easy to forget that this production didn’t just start as something set in the DC Extended Universe but was meant to be the big solo adventure of Ben Affleck’s take on the Dark Knight.
The former film would finally gain momentum in July 2015, just eight months before Dawn of Justice was set to hit theaters. It was at this point that Deadline revealed that Affleck and Geoff Johns were penning a Batman movie that Affleck would also direct. No release date or even project timeframe for a premiere was delivered with this news.
Those plans would not stay in place for long. In January 2017, shortly after Live by Night premiered in theaters, it was revealed that Affleck would no longer be helming The Batman. At the time, Affleck released a statement that read, in part, “performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require.
As for what plot this feature would’ve covered, The Batman would have been set in a location that has only had a brief presence in prior live-action Batman movies: Arkham Asylum. Manganiello has also been open about the plans for Deathstroke in this film, including the prospect of Batman and Batgirl teaming up in the finale to take on this supervillain together.