Ben Affleck kicked off the year by making the fanboy world gasp, when he dared to suggest he might not direct “The Batman.” Essentially, the writer/director said (as he’s been saying all along) that if the material wasn’t strong, he wouldn’t do it, but many took that to mean that Affleck was already halfway out the door. But stopping by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night, Affleck reassured everybody, that yes, he was going to make the superhero movie.
“I’m gonna direct the next Batman. We’re working on it,” he said. However, he’s politely asking everybody to just chill a minute and let him get prepared.
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“It’s one of those things that’s really frustrating — with ‘Live by Night,’ it took me a year and a half to write it and get it ready and I worked really hard, and nobody gave a sh–. No one was like, ‘Where’s Live by Night?!’ But with Batman I keep on getting, ‘Where’s the f—ing Batman?!’ and I’m like, ‘I’m working! Can you give me a second?!” he added.
So, it kind of sounds like the reports that the film would shoot this spring were premature, and as Affleck makes clear, he’s still pulling everything together. So everybody be cool, “The Batman” is happening with Affleck at the helm. [EW]