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With Matt Reeves’s Batman kicking into high gear and the announcement of Robert Patterson as the new Batman, it’s almost impossible to remember that at one point there was a different Batman in the works. Over the last couple of years, Ben Affleck had been developing an original Batman script for him to direct and star in as his version of the Caped Crusader. Due to an internal conflict within Warner Brothers, the movie never got anywhere and some details of the project have come out regarding the once anticipated movie. Robert Richardson, who has been lead cinematography for films like Django Unchained and Kill Bill: Vol 1, was set to work on Affleck’s solo Batman film.
Recently, the cinematographer spoke on an MTV podcast about some of the details of the film and the script that was at hand. One of the most interesting things he said about the said project is that it would have gone deep into Batman’s sanity and how many people would view him as insane. Richardson said that it would be a “much darker” version of Batman. This statement is surprising, to say the least, as part of the backlash from some fans of the DECU and Warner Brothers is that the characters within the pantheon were being portrayed as “too dark,” not to mention that the legendary Dark Knight trilogy is already considered one of the darker superhero movies out there. Something else that stood out is that the movie would have dwelled into Batman’s past and see what makes him so “insane.” A lot of Batman films explore the becoming of Bruce Wayne and the persona that is Batman, but none have really explored the psychology behind the character itself. It would have been rather super fascinating to see what makes Batman mentally think the way he does. Something else also mentioned was how not a lot of movie excites and people within the industry did not like the script that was written. That might give some insight as to why we never saw the film actually get greenlit for production.
Considering all this information, it would’ve been interesting to see this Batman on the screen, to say the least. Sad to say but the film will never see the light of day as Affleck is no longer playing Batman. Reeves’s new Batman project should be ready by 2021, where Pattinson will make his debut! What are your thoughts? What does that version of batman sound like to you? Would you like it? For all things cinema, you are in the right place.
