Ben Affleck: 'The Batman' script is great now, it just needs to get better

Earlier today reports came out that said production on Ben Affleck's Batman movie has been pushed back a couple of months. Batman News has heard that's true, but fans shouldn't worry about The Batman just yet.

IGN caught up with Affleck last Friday, January 6th, at a press junket for his new movie Live By Night. In their interview that was published today, Affleck continued to talk about the script, but this time added that it was "great" and just needs to be better.

"There's great stuff in it now," Affleck said. "It just needs to get better and better. It's the same way I felt about (Live By Night) when I was prepping it, it's just that no one was asking me questions because nobody gave a shit, because there wasn't any click-throughs."

"It took me a year plus to get (Live By Night) ready to launch. Hopefully it won't take me that long for Batman. We're working, I think we're ahead of the curve, and we're excited," he added.

With production being pushed to this summer, hopefully Affleck has the time he needs to get the script just the way he wants it.

SOURCE: IGN

112 comments

Thanasis

January 9, 2017

Fuck yeah. Good news

Batfan nana nana nana

January 9, 2017

good stuff.. I was worried for a second

steve

January 9, 2017

Ben just want to make sure that we have the best batman movie he could possibly make. Him and geoff johns arent gonna lets this be crap. They already have their cast, now their just making sure the script is in good place before filming start this summer.

Sense

January 9, 2017

Batman News has been a rollercoaster ride the last couple of days

Swaggersaurus
January 10, 2017
All about the he said she said.

GaboPSN

January 9, 2017

Cool, make it as good as you can. I'm glad he's now "It's good now", because whenever he just said "the script needs to be improved", every blogger was like "Affleck confirms the script is a mess", "Affleck is not sure about directing The Batman", "9 directors that could replace Ben Affleck".

ArtimusGG
January 10, 2017
There's a swarm of negativity around the DCEU. Outlets must get a ton of click-throughs because any little thing becomes a great reason to post another "doomsday for the DCEU" story.
That's my perception of the situation after months of seeing it happen.
Rust
January 10, 2017
And shouldn't he desire that? He says this is the process of every single movie he's ever made. Keep building, keep trying to elevate it until you feel like it's ready to bake.
This is positive news to me.
1. Alan Conn
  January 10, 2017
  Dude u have to argue and be negative about every single thing anyone posts. You are the epitamy of a troll.
2. Rust
  January 10, 2017
  Affleck did say he thinks it's good now. He said it's great.
  Now, will we necessarily agree with his opinion? Who knows. But discarding his positive comments and taking his 'I want to make it better than great' as somehow a negative seems willfully cynical to me.
3. Dethw1ng
  January 10, 2017
  Huh??
Josh Morgan
January 10, 2017
lol this comment made me chuckle because it sooooo true. People starting freaking out when Ben said those things about the script not being ready.

BringerOfRain

January 9, 2017

I thought it was delayed

Danny Neiba

January 9, 2017

Ben is just a cool character. He knows the rumors are out there about the script and he answers the questions while throwing some humor in there. Ben's the man!

Bisquiteen Trisket
January 10, 2017
He gets a lot of hate and I'm not sure why.
1. Alan Conn
  January 10, 2017
  Bc people be jealous.

BringerOfRain

January 9, 2017

How can you push something back with no start date/release date though.

BringerOfRain
January 9, 2017
Ben could have easily said that he is eyeing the Spring to start filming. But nothing was ever confirmed
1. Mark
  January 9, 2017
  But these actors, locations, etc. need to be scheduled. Mark Hamill can't be playing the Trickster in Vancouver at the same time he's playing Luke Skywalker on some god forsaken island; it's the same with these actors. They don't have infinite flexibility.

Blockhead Jr.

January 9, 2017

Friend of a friend reporting strategy. My dad works at Nintendo. I know my brothers cousin who used to work at WB news. Come get it here first at Batman-News. "We confirm it."

BatmanNewsChris
January 9, 2017
Are you getting a Switch early?
1. Blockhead Jr.
  January 9, 2017
  Lol. I'm in NO MORE DEAD COPS mode.

Patrolfyr

January 9, 2017

I want Ben to work with Jared Leto... let's see if we can get this joker to be the joker that we deserve for this universe.
Who's with me?

BatmanNewsChris
January 9, 2017
Me! I was disappointed that Deathstroke is the main villain. I hope there's still a big role for Leto's Joker in The Batman.
1. BringerOfRain
  January 9, 2017
  Why are you disappointed that Slade is the main villain? Slade is a fantastic character when written correctly. And also, I'm pretty sure there'll be more than Slade going up against Bats.
  1. BatmanNewsChris
    January 9, 2017
    I should rephrase... I was disappointed that The Joker wasn't the *main* villain. I wanted a classic Batman/Joker story in Affleck's movie. I think it's cool Deathstroke is in it too.
    1. BringerOfRain
      January 9, 2017
      I'm more than okay with Joker sitting this one out. I do think he'll show up eventually though.
    2. Adroxx
      January 9, 2017
      I think it's smart not to use Joker in the first solo film - it's too much pressure to get the hero AND villain perfect, especially since it's Affleck's first go at writing and directing in this world.
      Personally, I don't really care who the villain is, I just want a solid detective story with elements of mystery, wrapped up in a fun action/adventure film. It can be done, and I'm hoping the extra time they're taking will get it done properly.
    3. Blockhead Jr.
      January 9, 2017
      Affleck is keen not to do Joker because of his reverence of Nolan. Afraid to be less. He might be in the movie at the end but I think Affleck wants new territory to avoid comparison.
    4. TheHummuss
      January 9, 2017
      Looks like you read in between the lines there - I think you're right haha
    5. Dethw1ng
      January 10, 2017
      Exactly what I want.
    6. TheHummuss
      January 9, 2017
      Mercenaries can only go so far - Usually the main Batman villain has an actual cause (of for Joker's case the cause is no cause) so I assume Deathstroke is only "part of the plan"
    7. Josh Morgan
      January 10, 2017
      not having the Joker as the main villain is a smart move. Ben respects Nolans take too much and he doesnt want to retread old ground. he wanted something new and exciting, and Deathstroke is the perfect character to square off against batman in my opinion. I would rather the Joker show up in another Batman movie(if Ben even decided to do another, which hopefully he will). Even if he does, it needs to be different. Red Hood would be a great idea I think. This way we would get to see the joker in a way that we really havent seen in live action before.
    8. OssamNin
      January 10, 2017
      But we hav already had Joker/Batman movies, it's time for other villains, and then on the final installment of the Batman films, give us the final battle between Joker and Batman.
    9. Blackarrow
      January 10, 2017
      Joker is a villain that is too big, If you do a movie with him he has to be the biggest focus while Batman tries to figure him out. With a villain similar to Batman, you can analyze them both at the same time that's why Deathstroke is here. We get the chance to learn about Batman and Deathstroke.
    10. El Murcielago
      January 10, 2017
      Im honestly a little sick of joker
  2. Blockhead Jr.
    January 9, 2017
    Well technically Slade isn't a villain, nor a Batman villain. If he's in the movie and Affleck loves mysteries; you can bet he isn't the only one the detective is up against. He is a guaranteed hired hand.
    1. BringerOfRain
      January 9, 2017
      Slade is a Villain in the comics. Especially in Rebirth.
    2. Blockhead Jr.
      January 10, 2017
      Gotta admit his solo is still not exactly full fledged baddie he always walks a scumbag highground but I'll concede to that reasoning.
    3. BringerOfRain
      January 10, 2017
      He's still pretty bad.
      Edit: He loves his family in his own way, etc, etc. But that's really about it.
    4. greenarrowfan1
      January 10, 2017
      Fan theory suggest that Lex Luthor is responsible for hiring DS but maybe it one of batman other villains like a crime boss who trying to get rid of batman interfering with their business.
    5. Blockhead Jr.
      January 10, 2017
      Luthor and Waller makes sense but I would like at least one Bat villain. Slade doesn't count to me.
    6. greenarrowfan1
      January 10, 2017
      I suggested Black Mask. I think Crime Boss would want to get rid of batman as soon as possible. I like to see a new batman villain not done before.
    7. Blockhead Jr.
      January 11, 2017
      Owls, Black Mask (War Games), Hush (Heart of Hush Trilogy), Joker & Thomas Wayne (Batman R.I.P/Club of Villains/Death of Family), Levithan and the Heretic. So many villains, dream storylines I want explored or adapted.
2. Nawawi B
  January 10, 2017
  There's gotta be the Joker in there somewhere. My bet is that there will be three villains: Villain A - Deathstroke (the main physical adversary - think Winter Soldier in Cap 2) ; Villain B - the actual mastermind (think Robert Redford in Cap 2); and Villain C - Joker as a wildcard supporting/cameo role like in SS.
3. OGmacrazy
  January 10, 2017
  Deathstroke is the main villain, and having too many villains can be a curse on a super hero movie. We've had plenty of Jokers. Save him for a 2nd Batman film, so Affleck can save this god forsaken version of Joker.
Nahuel Benvenuto
January 10, 2017
i really want at least some cameo of the Joker, without Harley and against Batman they can do something good but they will probably leave it for later, shame that SS was such a mess because this version of the Jokes is interesting and closer to the comic books

John Johnson

January 9, 2017

There we go. Straight from the source.

http://i.perezhilton.com/wp...

YGtrece

January 9, 2017

Awesome

YGtrece

January 9, 2017

Hahaha...trueeeee

YGtrece

January 9, 2017

Thoughts exactly

Josh Morgan

January 9, 2017

HA. I knew it

Meg

January 9, 2017

I'm really tired of this trope. Ben has been saying the same thing over and over since the beginning. He's not making it until he feels the script is great and ready, and nobody is going to force him into it against his will.

Drew Douglas

January 9, 2017

If this is driving us crazy, imagine how poor Ben feels being hounded with Batman questions non-stop. Especially when he's trying to promote something else.

man_you_fear_19
January 11, 2017
Exactly. Also some of these interviewers have to be the same people that crapped all over BvS, something he thought was good, and now they only want to talk about Batman. I'd be getting pissed off too.

OptimistPrime99

January 10, 2017

https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
So production wasn't actually delayed, they just still aren't sure exactly when the script will be ready, and filming will start. That's not exactly breaking news. LOL And the report about Affleck not being all in, and Justice League being a hot mess, was probably just negative speculation (a rumor created by Marvel).

IamTheOneWhoKnocks

January 10, 2017

Chris is going to give some of us a heart attack some day, lol!

IamTheOneWhoKnocks

January 10, 2017

We're getting an amazing director and writer at his A+ Game for a Batman movie that he is starring. This movie is going to be great!

Jack Ryder
January 10, 2017
Not to be a Debbie downer, but this Live by Night movie, which he wrote, directed and starred in, is not going over too well with critics and fans alike (via Metacritic). I like a lot of his other work and I think he has a decent chance of making a great Batman movie, but I wouldn't say he's at his A+ game. His behavior seems a little erratic as of late, very mid-life-crisis-y. But I don't know shit, just thinking out loud.
1. Dethw1ng
  January 10, 2017
  The other 3 movies he directed were all in the mid-90's on that dumb Rotten Tomatoes, from both the critics and audiences, for what it's worth. "Argo" won a Best Picture Oscar. One (that hasn't even been released wide yet) movie getting mixed reviews doesn't really determine the true attributes of a director -- and not for not, but the reception of period pieces is largely more subjective than the average movie tends to be. Still, I'm extremely confident in his skills to deliver a great Batman movie.

the dark knightvman of steel24

January 10, 2017

Great news. Take your time man. Take your time

ArtimusGG

January 10, 2017

click-through: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

Yep, Ben spent all that time on Live by Night but hype ultimately comes down to clicks. Fuck it, I'm going to watch the hell out of Live by Night and The Batman, whenever it ends up being made.

I like this guy, I love his Batman, and his films are the shit (The Town, Gone Girl, Argo).

So hey internet, Argo fuck yourself.

John Johnson

January 10, 2017

Meryl Streep. It's the only character she hasn't played.

Rust

January 10, 2017

Respect for including the link to this article on the last one in nice big letters. Thanks, Chris. This is why we like it here. :)

BringerOfRain

January 10, 2017

I think this is the most likely scenario. I mean, we already have Slade(!!) and Gordon. Who's next?

greenarrowfan1
January 10, 2017
Harvey Bullock? Allen? Montoya? maybe Black Mask?

Jack Ryder

January 10, 2017

I know nothing of the movie-making process or how scripts are written. Can someone fill me in on what could delay this process? What sort of changes could they need to make? It seems to me (again, a nobody who doesn't know anything) that you either have a good story or you don't. I know scripts can be pretty long, but they're not novels. I feel like there shouldn't be this much back and forth. Thanks

OssamNin
January 10, 2017
It's not so much the lenght, it's all in the little details, and for example a scene with an exchange of words between 2 characters, maybe on paper it appears to be good, but then in the actual movie it doesn't work, or doesn't fit the way the actor is portraying said character, so they need to fine tune it. I would not be surprised if the actors get together to test the script and then see if it needs tweaks or maybe even big changes, like the way it ends, or the way the plot unflods, but without changing the base story.
TØM
January 10, 2017
"I know nothing of the movie making process but he's my ignorant opinion anyway", sigh.
1. Jack Ryder
  January 10, 2017
  Pretty sure I was asking a question, but by all means if being a pompous loser makes you feel good, then be my guest.
  1. TØM
    January 10, 2017
    Ask as many questions as you want. If you'd have simply asked a question, I might have tried to respond with a more insightful comment.
    But when you spout ignorant shite like "It seems to me that you either have a good story or you don't... they're not novels... there shouldn't be this much back and forth." then I won't dignify you with a serious answer.

OssamNin

January 10, 2017

I hope WW and JL get good reviews, so they can keep on going with the DCEU with less stress, and then I hope The Batman is recieved with critical acclaim. It should be, after all the work Affleck and co. are doing on it.