There’s been a lot of chatter about DC Films brewing “The Batman.” Joe Manganiello (who is apparently slated to play Deathstroke) has stated the picture will shoot this spring, and already described it as “gritty and action packed and cerebral,” while the word is that Warner Bros. has made it a priority, with plans to release the movie before the planned “Justice League 2.” Well, someone better tell Ben Affleck, because by the sound of it, he’s far from directing ready to put on the cowl again.
Chatting with The Guardian, the actor/director made it clear that he wants to make a good movie, and unless the material is top shelf, he’s not going to jump into things.
“…it’s not a set thing and there’s no script. If it doesn’t come together in a way I think is really great I’m not going to do it,” he said.
It’s the quote that’s currently making plenty of headlines, but it’s worth remembering that Affleck has held this position for a while now. Back in October during press rounds for “The Accountant,” he effectively said the same thing.
“Last night I spent (time) working on the script. I’m in full-on ‘trying to get it right mode’. It’s not the kind of movie that you can fail quietly at. You have to really be sure that I have something that I feel really confident about before we go forward,” he stated to IGN (via Comic Book Movie).
Affleck’s drive to make the best movie possible is understandable. He’s certainly not unaware of the critical lashing “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice” received, while only adds to the expectations and pressure of making a good Batman movie. All that said, I can’t imagine WB is too thrilled hearing Affleck hedging on directing “The Batman,” and it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the months ahead. But if all makes for a good movie in the end, that’s all that really counts.