Ben Affleck Is 'Still Involved' With The Batman

Bat-fleck rises! Well, maybe. 

According to The Batman director Matt Reeves, Ben Affleck is "still involved" with the film. 

Reeves, who stepped up as the director of The Batman after Affleck ditched his directing duties, gave an update on the status of the project during the Television Critics Association's summer press tour. Though he revealed Affleck's continued involvement, Reeves noted that it's too early in the game to discuss it in detail or in what capacity (via Deadline). 

What he couldn't dish up regarding Affleck's ties to The Batman, Reeves made up for in confirming that he and the film's creative team are "working on getting [the] draft in the next couple of weeks and things are progressing." 

"We have conceptual stuff going and coming into being and my head is totally in the script," stated Reeves. "In fact I'm going to be leaving right now [from the Beverly Hilton] to work on the script."

Will said script center around a young Batman, like previous reports suggested? Will the story adapt Batman: Year One, the acclaimed adventure written by Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli? 

It looks like it's a "no" for both — despite the fact that Reeves is a big Batman fan and even did a "deep dive" into the Caped Crusader's lore to craft the perfect plot for The Batman.

"I'm just excited to be focused on a tale that's defying for him [Batman] and is very personal to him," Reeves explained. "Obviously we're not doing any origin tales or anything like that — but definitely Batman, emotional, and him being the world's greatest detective." 

He then added that his take on Batman will have no connection to the Dark Knight film series directed by Christopher Nolan, but will carry a few of the same elements. The Batman, Reeves said, is "noir-driven" and follows Batman as he attempts to crack a case "that takes us out into the world of Gotham."

So, the good news of this announcement is two-fold: Affleck remains a part of The Batman (information that comes straight from Reeves' mouth rather than an unnamed source close to the production) and the project is moving along swiftly. Unfortunately, the bad news is also two-fold: Affleck simply being "involved" with the movie could mean any number of things — like, for instance, that he might not even appear in The Batman — and just because he's attached right now doesn't necessarily guarantee that he'll stay attached going forward. As he had done in the past, Affleck could jump ship at any time.

Affleck's link to The Batman, his status in the DC movie world, and his connection to his role as the Caped Crusader, have been anything but clear over the past year. First, Affleck was on top of it all, lined up to write, direct, and lead The Batman. Then, he started to spread himself thin by penning the script for The Batman while shooting Justice League (and we all know the troubles that film faced behind the scenes). It wasn't long before Affleck realized he may have bitten off more than he could chew in agreeing to direct and star in The Batman, announcing that he couldn't "do both jobs to the level they require."

In swooped Reeves, and the day was saved. Or so it should have been. 

After the quick director shuffle came an avalanche of uncertainty. Variety once reported that it was "highly unlikely" Affleck would throw on the cowl and cape for The Batman, and that Reeves was looking to cast someone new. Affleck himself previously mentioned he was simply "contemplating" being a part of the film.  His brother, Casey Affleck, also "joked" that he wasn't "going to do that movie." And it's been speculated that Affleck wouldn't star in The Batman so many times, we've started to lose count.

With any luck, Affleck will stay stuck to The Batman for good — whether he's in front of the camera or behind it helping make the whole thing happen.