Ben Affleck will not star in The Batman, says Casey Affleck

Only a few weeks after Ben Affleck dismissed rumours that he was standing down as Batman, his younger brother has stoked the flames once more.

Casey Affleck, ‘Manchester By The Sea’ Oscar-winner and sibling of the current Dark Knight, has declared that his brother will not appear the in-development Warner Bros/DC movie ‘The Batman.’

In an interview on US radio show Dale & Holley With Keefe, 42-year old Affleck was asked about rumours that his 45-year old brother would be bowing out of ‘The Batman,’ to which he replied, “he’s not going to do that movie, I don’t think.”

Confusing matters, Affleck moments later claims he was “making that up,” yet he certainly seems sincere when the words leave his lips. He also described his brother as “a hero, so he had something to channel and work with there.” (Watch the interview here.)

So, do we dismiss this as more speculation, or – given the source – do we take it as gospel? The Hollywood Reporter, for one, take the younger Affleck’s words as confirmation of their earlier report that Warners/DC were “working on plans to usher out Affleck’s Batman” following his appearance in the upcoming ‘Justice League.’

Mere days later, Ben Affleck seemed to bluntly deny this on stage at San Diego Comic Con, telling the audience, “Let me be very clear. I am the luckiest guy in the world. Batman is the coolest f**king part in any universe… It’s f**king amazing.”

Ben Affleck was announced as Christian Bale’s successor as Batman/Bruce Wayne in 2014, cast alongside Henry Cavill in ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice,’ which hits screens to mixed reviews but strong box office in 2016. He briefly reprised the role in the same year’s ‘Suicide Squad.’

Credit: Warner Bros

Initially, Ben Affleck had also been attached to direct and co-write ‘The Batman,’ but he stood down as director in January 2017, and his replacement Matt Reeves recently announced that the initial script by Affleck and Geoff Johns has been scrapped completely.

All this – plus reports of substantial reshoots on ‘Justice League’ – have added credence to speculation that, with his involvement in the film pared back ever further, Affleck’s abdication of the title role on ‘The Batman’ would be next.

At present, there has been no comment on the matter by Ben Affleck or Warner Bros/DC – nor does ‘The Batman’ have a confirmed release date.

Whatever happens, we’ll next see Ben Affleck as Batman in ‘Justice League,’ opening 17 November.

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