Ben Affleck to write and direct standalone Batman film

Ben Affleck is teaming up with Geoff Johns to co-write a stand-alone Batman movie that Affleck will direct and star in.

Deadline reported that Affleck and Johns are well in sync, and are likely to turn in a script before the end of the summer, prior to Affleck going off to direct “Live By Night” in November. The Batman movie would shoot after he finishes that project, and the plot would reflect the Batman character that emerges after “Batman V Superman” and “Justice League”, the latter of which comes out November 17, 2017.

DC and Warner Bros have set a long list of superhero movies that take the Marvel formula of interspersing characters from one film to the next, so it's unclear when Affleck's film will be slotted.

The best Batman blockbusters had a real sense of visual authorship, originated by Tim Burton, with the latest arc by Christopher Nolan. Now it falls to Affleck, who'll creatively steer the Batman franchise after directing the Best Picture winner “Argo” and co-scripting and directing gems “The Town” and “Gone Baby Gone”. Helped by the collaboration with DC-savvy Johns, this might be the most exciting news to hit the San Diego Comic-Con this weekend.

Source: Deadline