Ben Affleck’s standalone Batman film had 'amazing' script, reveals crew member

At the height of DCEU's popularity, Ben Affleck took on the role of the caped crusader. He debuted as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016 and went on to star in Justice League (2017). However, after director Zack Snyder had left the DCEU, plans for a Ben Affleck standalone Batman film, which he was supposed to write, direct, and star in, were also ruined. Now, Jay Oliva, an artist who previously worked on the reportedly shelved film, opened up about how the film was 'f---ing awesome.' 

2 things you need to know

• Ben Affleck last played the role of Batman in The Flash (2023).
• His full-fledged Batman role was in Zack Snyder's Justice League.
• He reprised his role in The Flash (2023).

Ben Affleck's Batman was 'very clever' 

In a conversation with Inverse, Jay Oliva discussed the now-scrapped standalone Batman movie which would have featured the Good Will Hunting actor. He said that the script for the film was "f***ing awesome." He added that when he had joined the project, he was shown the 2nd or 3rd draft from Affleck and the veteran DC Comics writer, Geoff Johns. Oliva said that in his experience of working on all things Batman, he'd never encountered anything like Affleck's story. 

(Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice | Image: BatmanVSupermanmovie/Instagram)

“Ben’s story was gonna cover something that had never really been covered in comics but was building off of storylines in the Batman mythos over the last 80 years and approaching it from a new kind of perspective," said Oliva. 

How Matt Reeves changed Batman

After Ben Affleck stepped away from the project for personal reasons, director Matt Reeves stepped in to create his own Batman film. Robert Pattinson's casting in the film, who was previously known for non-gritty roles, surprised social media users. The Batman was released on March 4, 2022, and ended up being a box-office success.

(Robert Pattinson as the titular superhero in The Batman | Image: batmanmovie/Instagram)

Made on a budget of $150 million, the film grossed $771 million worldwide. Moreover, a spin-off show called The Penguin, which will feature the Oscar-nominated actor Colin Farrell, is also under development.