Report: 'The Batman' script is being rewritten from scratch

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March 15, 2017

Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns worked on a script for The Batman that Ben Affleck was never truly happy with. Last we heard, he brought in Batman v Superman and Justice League writer Chris Terrio to work on a draft, but now a new rumor says that they're starting over.

Sources tell /Film that The Batman script is being rewritten from scratch and that it's possible that everything we've heard about the movie's story, like Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, could no longer be in play.

If this is true, it's possible that new director Matt Reeves has a different Batman story he wants to tell, thus the reboot on the script.

And speaking of Reeves, his commitments to War of the Planet of the Apes will keep him busy through June. After the movie opens in July, he will be able to start meeting with actors to cast in The Batman, but production is not likely to begin until 2018, according to Variety's Justin Kroll. This likely scenario was also discussed by Sean Gerber and Mark Hughes on the latest episode of the Batman News podcast.

Hearing Matt Reeves contracted to work on APES till at least end of June, so production on BATMAN likely not starting till 2018
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) March 14, 2017

Also means any casting rumors you hear are likely BS seeing that he wouldn't have time to meet with any talent till at least July
— Justin Kroll (@krolljvar) March 14, 2017

SOURCE: /Film

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192 comments

Sergio
March 15, 2017
i don´t think manganiello is out. i mean, if WB already signed him and they even officially released that deathstroke screen test, then he must still be part of the equation (even if the plot/story changes completely)
1. TØM
  March 15, 2017
  That wasn't official it looked like a recording off a mobile phone from Ben Affleck's Facebook account
  1. Sergio
    March 15, 2017
    it was made public by affleck himself trough twitter. that's what makes it legit.
    1. Billy Batson
      March 15, 2017
      It doesn't matter what was planned or who was hired. Whatever Affleck had in mind is out the door now that there's a new director.
      1. Sergio
        March 15, 2017
        exactly. the usual procedure, like i said. and even if manganiello is out, which i really think won´t be the case, i bet they have great ideas in the way.
Robin Bankes
March 15, 2017
Since this is being pushed back so much, can we please get that JL2 movie that was delayed to make room for The Batman? I'd really like to see the group go up against Darkseid sometime in this millennia.
1. krampe1995
  March 15, 2017
  iam pretty sure we will see darksseid at the end of justice league
2. Max Chum
  March 15, 2017
  before we get to assumptions i just assumed they were getting a rewrite but would still proceed with a 2019 date. maybe if not we can get that superman or nightwing film. or gcs and ss2?
Max Chum
March 15, 2017
this is why its good and bad getting autuer directors. good because they give you a great movie and bad because they literally require perfection before production and it takes a long time before they even begin shooting. this is why it takes such a long process to get auteur directors on board a superhero movie and why they usually dont try to do one. the fast paced production schedule.
krampe1995
March 15, 2017
i was just getting my hope up for the dceu and now this.
they only got aquaman after 2017 and thats it.
I remain skeptical, it isnt running smooth at all
Canucks Fan
March 15, 2017
Plenty of stories of actors being so close to doing a role to only have it taken away in the last second. I agree about Reeves controlling it which makes this news not that much of a shocker of course the new director coming on will want to start from scratch. At the end of the day the usual suspects in the comment section will overreact and the usual suspects within the media will blow this out of proportion for clicks and views.
Orlando Furioso
March 15, 2017
This sounds like the kind of rumor that will be debunked by a tweet within 48 hours. Just my hunch.
Max Chum
March 15, 2017
i expect this from all the dc movies to be honest. once flash gets a director expect a rewrite and a 2020 date. i think the problem is their getting directors who are perfectionists so if its not the best script ever your obviously gonna get a rewrite. another reason why edgar wright shouldnt direct flash. just get someone like chris mckay and seth grahamme smith as co directors.
Max Chum
March 15, 2017
i honestly didnt want deathstroke as a villain when matt reeves came on. thats not his style. he seems more like a riddler or two face or huge strange type of person
Jimmy Two Times
March 15, 2017
And in no time we'll get yet another commentary/report refuting this one. This is nothing new, and I'm not panicked in the least. At the end of the day it just sounds like a team of people doing everything they can to get things to a level which they can all feel proud -- it's not negative in the slightest! This movie will be made, and I believe there's A TON of dedication by all involved.
Breathe easy and be patient, folks. This is going to be a merry-go-round, so just take it in stride.
1. Sergio
  March 15, 2017
  exactly. this is the most standard of proceedings every time a new director takes over any project. did media say anything bad when peyton reed took over antman from edgar wright and they actually rewrote the whole script from scratch? this is a bit hypocritical.
  1. Sergio
    March 15, 2017
    like it should, edgar is way ahead from peyton reed, creatively. it was a step down. on the other hand, matt reeves has a great action resume, which a project like the batman demands, and i have no doubt his script will be dope.
  2. Sergio
    March 15, 2017
    besides, i said media didn´t complain, not fanboys. critics and bloggers were the usual marvel ass-kissers.
    1. Sergio
      March 15, 2017
      LOL. K.
2. Billy Batson
  March 15, 2017
  No need to panic at all. Reeves just has a different story he wants to tell.
Hunter Zolomon
March 15, 2017
Hopefully they keep Deathstroke and Joe Manganiello in as he was one of the things i was really excited about.
Clay Castille
March 15, 2017
Yes it does, it's exactly what he's been harping on for months, get the script right.
sj conker
March 15, 2017
It never ends...
Max Chum
March 15, 2017
this is why they need to get them directors quick to get those rewrites quick so they can make the release date instead of constantly setting everything back. this is why flash needs a director now so it wont be pushed back even further. i wonder what their gonna announce at comic con. its not like they have confirmed directors other than reeves and david ayer which isnt alot. maybe a surprse director?
Jack Slater IV
March 15, 2017
Can't trust "sources" as fact.
Harvey Bullock
March 15, 2017
If the script was crap I hope they do rerwrite the whole thing from scratch. I don't care how much of a delay this takes, I just want this movie to be perfect.
1. Max Chum
  March 15, 2017
  it might not be crap. i think its just a case of different director, different vision, different standards.
YGtrece
March 15, 2017
LOL
YGtrece
March 15, 2017
Standalone Batman is NOT under contract
1. Max Chum
  March 15, 2017
  well then he might as well bail from justice league 2 if he's not doing it. no point in having him in justice league 2 and then not in batman. i wonder though who would you cast. because you would have to cast an old batman again anyway to support the story. i thought it was stupid of snyder to cast ben affleck because way too old to keep making movies with batman in it. you need someone young for this stuff. maybe armie can play it up but seems unlikely.
  1. YGtrece
    March 16, 2017
    Agree on half of your thoughts, that he should bail after JL if at all. I don't think he will because of PR, however, and think he's absolutely young enough to play a rusty old tired Bateman for like 5 movies total (9-12 years)
Adam
March 15, 2017
Under the red hood would be perfect. Joker, Batman and Jason, thats all we need. Everything's in place: older Batman, dead robin, the joker (which in my opinion doesnt need any reboots) and some insane action coupled to emotional and brutal moments.
1. Max Chum
  March 15, 2017
  why do people want yet another adaption of the same old redhood storyline? can we do it i dont know in a different way? he doesnt need a whole movie.
  1. G-Richter
    March 16, 2017
    Because it's a well-liked and, frankly, good storyline, because it explores the completely underused-in-film Batfamily and because it would fit this universe very well. And of course it wouldn't be a page by page adaptation, it would be its own thing, just inspired by it. We've seen a pretty loose adaptation of the arc recently (I don't know if I can say which one, it's supposed to be a plot twist)
    1. Max Chum
      March 16, 2017
      We've seen it alot though so why? Do something different. There are other storyline s.
2. Kamran
  March 16, 2017
  But the problem is this Batman kills... And during the final showdown... Batfleck will pull the trigger...
Mario
March 15, 2017
New director, new rules, until is locked to produce, any script can be changed (even after shooting started sometimes), also, a rewrite does not mean a complete reboot, we don’t know the state of the script, and the intentions of the new team configuration, remember, all the other players are still there.
Probably in a few days or weeks we get a new report debunking this one in some form.
In the end, its our fault, for speculating and overreacting on a daily basis on what is basically long business negotiations. I don’t worry, i wait, for official announcements. https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
1. Max Chum
  March 15, 2017
  honestly we have too much news as a society. thats the problem and small news is on steroids now. society on earth is so retarded. i hate it
Billy Batson
March 15, 2017
I was waiting for this news to see just how much control Reeves has. Looks like this is his baby now.
AnonymousHero
March 15, 2017
Oh great... SMH
Kerk Lastnameless
March 15, 2017
I expected to hear that.
Kub
March 15, 2017
After a bomb massacre in the city led by Joker, Deathstroke gets an anonymous contract to kill him. Joker seeks protection to Batman. Batman is in a great self fight- dilemma, either to let Joker pay what he desrves or to protect him and deliver to justice. Walking in mafia tunnels to undercover the brain behind the deal, (with Joker as a ball in chain in his foot confusing his mind) while Deathstroke is only half a breath away, they enter a brutal fight before they realize that the mastermind is not the mafia boss (new arriving mysterious red hood) but crazy, maniac Joker himself setting them up!
Dan P.
March 15, 2017
The acting has been fantastic IMO (except for Jesse as Lex).
I'd hate to see all the current casts for D.C. movies go to waste.
BvS really took the wind out of my sails for upcoming D.C. JL member movies (exception of WW because it's in a different time period).
I just can't get excited for the future. I don't see how they can do a 180 in terms of tone and expand on character development. I just never saw the Dark Knight Batman blending as well as alternative Batman versions with the Justice League.
I'll watch Justice League eventually, but honestly I forget it's coming. I remember being SO Hype like the rest of us for BvS, but it just didn't sit well in the big picture. I don't think I hate it like a lot of people, but it's really hard to defend moving forward. Especially knowing how fantastic many of the comics have been.
If Batman is to get another solo movie and it's not Ben, then please put an immediate end to these movies. It's a total lack of confidence, a complete cluster, and time to admit failure and try again. What would make me most excited is knowing specifically who is to blame for all of this. Zack Snyder? WB? Johns? DC Comics? All of the above?
1. JoshDen
  March 15, 2017
  Right on man
AAduck
March 15, 2017
It makes me wonder if Ben's addiction affected the writing process negatively :/
OGDickGrayson
March 15, 2017
I trust Reeves more than Affleck. I'm ok with this.
1. Spenddollarz
  March 15, 2017
  How many oscars he has ?
  1. Ábhi
    March 16, 2017
    Not the right parameter to judge directors, or actors.
  2. OGDickGrayson
    March 17, 2017
    How many times has he needed care for alcoholism?
Spenddollarz
March 15, 2017
I thought this was gonna be a collaboration between Ben and Matt now it looks like Ben won't have no say at all in this movie and I don't like that at all this seems like this gonna be like another case of Superman Lives where we get a documentary on what could of been with Bens The Batman movie ...I really hope this movie will be great and I'm sure it will be but I really wanted to see the vison Ben had for this movie and I wanna see Deathstroke ....what happened to the idea that this movie was gonna take place in Arkham and have most of the villains in it ? And what happened I thought WB had loved the new script that Ben and Geff came up with I don't wanna seem like I'm complaining but I do have legitimate concerns as the rest of us do I don't know if I should be happy or concerned right now
1. TØM
  March 15, 2017
  How I feel RN https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
  1. Diego!
    March 15, 2017
    Hahahaha xD
Guy
March 15, 2017
The Batman getting pushed back harder than Batman in Batman v Superman
https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
IamTheOneWhoKnocks
March 15, 2017
This is actually good news, it shows that Reeves has his own vision he wants to put forward, which means no interference, which means no mess. Love it!
TØM
March 15, 2017
I don't want to argue about it, but it's just so strange to me that Ben was involved in the search for the director who would ultimately supposedly scrap his script. Son of a bitch.

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This is an archive of Batman-News.com from 2010 to 2025. For the latest news, check out BatmanNews.com