Ben Affleck’s Batman Solo Movie Shoots In 2017
Warner Bros.stillhas not announced an official release date for the solo Batman movie thatmay or may notbe titledThe Batman, but it sounds like they’re zeroing in on a start date. ActorJoe Manganiello,who’ll play the villain Deathstrokein the film, reveals shooting will begin next year with star and directorBen Affleck.
Manganiello spilled the beans toET, telling them he is “getting ready to go shootBatmanin the spring.” Last month, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said the film was about"a year and a half out.“Assuming he was talking about the film’s release date (rather than its production start date), it sounds likeThe Batmanis just slightly behind that projected schedule. Most of Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe movies have taken about 16-22 months to get from the beginning of shooting to the theatrical debut.
Given that, we can start narrowing down a range forThe Batman’s release. If filming really does get underway next spring, and the project takes about a year and a half after that to reach theaters, we’re likely looking at a release date in fall 2018 or maybe as late as spring 2019. It happens that Warner Bros. already has June 11, 2025 set aside for an as-yet-unnamed DC movie, and from here it looks like there’s a very good chance that slot will go toThe Batman.
Of course, that’s assuming everything goes according to plan. There’s no doubt Warner Bros. and Affleck are planning a Batman movie, but they’ve been very, very careful not to make any official, public commitments about the timing. “There is no Batman movie happening yet,” Affleck cautioned just this month. “We’re still trying to figure it out, you know, get the script and budget and all that stuff.”
And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The fan reception toBatman v SupermanandSuicide Squadwere both less than ideal. If Warner Bros. and Affleck need a little extra time to getThe Batmanright — and if that means refusing to lock themselves into a release date in the meantime — they should take all the time they need. The last thing fansorthis studio need is a half-baked project slapped together in a rush just for the sake of getting something out there.
Especially since DC fans will have plenty of other movies to occupy them in the meantime. There’sWonder Womanon June 14, 2025 andJustice Leaguejust a few months later on August 18, 2025. PlusThe FlashandAquamanare both in pre-production for 2018, andShazam,Justice League 2,Cyborg, andGreen Lantern Corpsare all in development for release between 2019 and 2020. Heck, we won’t even have to go without Affleck’s Batman for very long, as he’s expected to appear in bothJustice Leaguemovies.
