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http://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2017/02/08/the-batman-movie-gets-new-script-new-director-and-likely-2019-release/#2697f57c51f8
The 'Batman' Movie Gets New Script, New Director, And Likely 2019 Release
Mark Hughes ,
Contributor
I write about films, especially superhero films, & Hollywood.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
As this week's announcement that Ben Affleck would step down as director of his solo superhero movie The Batman continues to reverberate through Hollywood and fandom, sources confirm the script originally penned by Affleck and Geoff Johns was rewritten by scribe Chris Terrio (whose Argo screenplay won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and who did a page-one rewrite on Batman v Superman), but the project will undergo substantial changes and possible/probably another full rewrite. Warner Bros. is already speaking to several filmmakers about taking over in the director's chair -- including one of my personal longtime favorites to direct a Batman movie, Matt Reeves, who seems to be the frontrunner -- and word is the project will essentially get a fresh start once a new creative team has been put together.
For now, Affleck remains attached to play Batman/Bruce Wayne, and has publicly asserted his intention to remain in that role now that he has less pressure to write and direct while also prepping mentally and physically for the performance. However, since he's already played Batman in three films to date -- including two extended and demanding productions over the course of about two years -- and has managed to act-write-direct other major projects in the past, it's fair to question whether he will remain committed to the project over the next several months while a new filmmaker and new script are acquired.
It's true Affleck's public statement (see below) insists he wants to make the film and will star in it, but he made similarly firm remarks just three weeks ago on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when asked if he was still directing the film. We've all learned it's impossible to take such public denials or assertions at face value every time, since the demands of the big-budget business of cinema realistically require playing cards close to the chest. Here is Affleck's full statement announcing his departure as director:
"There are certain characters who hold a special place in the hearts of millions. Performing this role demands focus, passion and the very best performance I can give. It has become clear that I cannot do both jobs to the level they require. Together with the studio, I have decided to find a partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film. I am still in this, and we are making it, but we are currently looking for a director. I remain extremely committed to this project, and look forward to bringing this to life for fans around the world."
The story for The Batman originally included the assassin Deathstroke as a main villain, with Joe Manganiello cast in the role, as well as a few other likely villainous appearances by characters including the Joker, according to sources familiar with the project. Jared Leto, who portrayed the Joker in Suicide Squad, has for months expressed his displeasure about the removal of substantial portions of his performance from the final cut of the film, raising questions about whether he would return to the role in future movies. He seems to have softened his stance lately and appears interested in a possible return, but whether he will ultimately be part of The Batman or Gotham City Sirens remains to be seen.
With scripting duties and directing demands off his shoulders, Affleck will have more time to commit to overcoming the exhaustion and frustrations that became a problem for him recently after a demanding schedule that included Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, The Accountant, Justice League, and Live By Night. Acting in all five of those films, plus doing scripting and editing duties on a few as well, and of course serving as writer-director-actor for Live By Night, put a strain on Affleck and made it difficult for him to focus on the screenplay for The Batman. Besides his work in those films, he also traveled around the country and world doing press junkets to promote most of the films, all of this while dealing with personal issues that added to his stress.
However, while the changes to The Batman seem to provide more breathing room and time to relax and refocus his efforts, the reverse side of that coin is quite simply that pressures dramatic enough to necessitate such a dramatic step-back could also be inherently serious enough to pose problems going forward, at least in the interim. Especially in light of the fact performing as Batman is something he's had a few years of experience with already now, and since rumors continue to spread that there is more going on than meets the eye -- rumors that gain traction when we can't be sure how long public assurances will last and when the rollout of information comes slowly and in small doses instead of ripping the bandaid off quickly.
If Affleck and Warner had spent the last few weeks noting Affleck's schedule and the particularly important needs of The Batman might necessitate him bringing in a collaborator, and if the remarks about the script had admitted Terrio was being sought to help get the script into shape for production, those frank admissions would've removed the seeming veil of secrecy and appearance of damage-control-mode, and the announcement of Affleck quitting the directing job wouldn't have seemed quite so sudden or huge. Now, we face another round of slow leaks, with word about continued script problems and the possible need for the new creative team to go back to the drawing board, and rumors that Affleck might continue slowly stepping away from the project.
This could all be solved by a simple announcement that a new director coming onto the project means the studio and Affleck are postponing further script development so they can work closely with the director on a unified vision, and that the extra time will let Affleck regain the focus he needs while teaming him with the best director and writers possible to get the project on firm ground. When it comes in bits and pieces that contradict one another and seem to reveal previously undisclosed developments, then it gives the impression -- fair or not -- that there is no coherent plan, and that the process is entirely reactive instead of proactive.
It's also not really fair to put all of the responsibility for these changes on Affleck's shoulders. Warner wanted Affleck to delay Live By Night so the DCU projects could be prioritized and filmed almost non-stop for several years, creating a dual situation of long production schedules for Affleck in the bat-cowl while leaving him far less time to focus on his labor of love, Live By Night (which I'll continue to note is in fact a great movie despite the obstacles Affleck faced getting it into production and ready for release); Warner made the decision to demand editing changes in Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad that caused a lot of the negative critical receptions for those movies, setting up a year of unfortunate media coverage that inevitably contributes to any artist's mood and energy level going forward on related projects; and Warner pushed for a faster production schedule for The Batman, despite Affleck's repeated public and private remarks expressing uncertainty about meeting those expectations.
My point is, there are lots of factors that led us to this moment, and while most reporting has focused on Affleck himself, it's a mistake to set up a scenario where the delays and changes -- and Affleck's departure as director -- are all framed as entirely his doing. And if he does choose to eventually bow out of the performance, it will be important to understand that the same array of factors from various directions, due to various players, will be behind it all. Everyone had their own reasons, there were unforeseen events, there were unintended consequences, and there's the simple fact everyone involved are human beings who get tired and change their minds sometimes and have to respond to realities around them.
That the script would need more rewrites, particularly with a new director joining the picture, was a given. How extensive the process will be -- I'm hearing anything from "major rewrites" to "a completely new script," including starting from scratch on the story if that's what it takes -- is unclear, not just to us but probably to those involved as well, since the new filmmaker might look at the story and script and decide there's plenty to salvage that appeals to them. Once the director is in place, more will become clear, but for now Warner Bros. is suffering far more negative perceptions than they need to, simply because of the attempt to slow and control the spread of information. The fear this causes and the speculation arising from that fear is far worse than whatever reaction resulted from putting the current known information out there for public consumption. Likewise, the more the press and public get the impression they can't trust public statements and the more the flow of information is slowed and controlled, the more it feeds the perception that larger problems loom for the DCU.
If Affleck stays on as lead actor, then this is actually an easy fix if the studio takes it slow, is open about the problems on the front end instead of fueling speculation and concern, and focuses on the relatively easy task of getting a great director and great writer to take all the time they need to pick the right story and then develop a great screenplay. There's more than enough talent involved and available to do this, and since we're likely looking at a release date in 2019 anyway (assuming things get on track now and there aren't further major delays), there's no need to rush it. They can spend the next year and several months letting the creative team focus on finding a story and writing a script for The Batman, and still have another year and several months to shoot it and get it ready for release by July 2019. If Ben Affleck is even just possibly -- on the low end of odds -- going to depart as actor, there is plenty of time to put together a list of replacement actors who could take over. That doesn't have to happen, but being ready for all outcomes would be a good idea at this point.
As I've said many times, I am a huge fan of Affleck's work and want him to be Batman, and I was very sad to see him depart as director. My heart broke a little when he quit as director, and it will break again if he walks away from the cowl altogether. But Batman is bigger than any one filmmaker or actor, and the most important thing is to get this project on the right footing and move forward with confidence. That's why I think the best option now would be clearing the air and ripping the bandaid off, making sure that Affleck is either 100% committed to at least making this one more movie as Batman OR letting him go ahead and state his intention to leave while remaining as producer and helping with the transition team until they are all in place and up to speed.
The project can survive either way, and meanwhile the priorities have to be: giving Wonder Woman the best promotion possible; building up anticipation and buzz for Justice League through the rest of the year; getting Aquaman ready and into production while making certain it's on the firmest footing possible; and getting Gotham City Sirens ready and into production in the same way to ensure it's as good as it can be. Those should be their main focuses this year, along with setting up The Batman team. For the rest of the DCU projects, wait to see how things go for this year's slate of films -- we all know that regardless of what plans are made for Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern in the coming months, it could all change depending on how things go when Wonder Woman and Justice League are released.
There's no point in constantly assembling teams and plans, only to rush around amending or changing them as events overtake everything with each new film's release. If it were possible to just stick to the plans regardless of reactions to the other films, then that'd be one thing, but we simply know that won't be the case. Thus these changes wind up fueling fear and negative perceptions that only worsen whatever negative reviews or coverage is already out there, perpetuating a bad situation and compounding the problems exponentially. So avoid it entirely by being patient, moving ahead on these few films, and waiting to see how things develop in June and November.
Two films this year, two films next year in 2018 (if Gotham City Sirens can get into good shape without rushing), and The Batman having a great new creative team to develop it in plenty of time for 2019 is a solid plan. If over the course of this year reactions to Wonder Woman and Justice League are good enough that a Flash-Cyborg project -- The Flash is already being rewritten by Joby Harold and will wind up with its third director sometime this year, in hopes of getting into production by next Spring -- can be developed to everyone's satisfaction, it'll have more than enough time to come together and complete production in time for an August or November 2019 release after The Batman. Trying to push too many of these things when so much is uncertain, with constant reactive changes, is what created most of these problems already. It makes sense to slow down and put maximum effort into a smaller set of projects to establish a better reputation and base from which to go forward with other films.
And for the record, I'm personally increasingly convinced The Flash should become a Titans project, with not only Cyborg but also Nightwing and Batgirl involved, to turn 2019 into a "year of the Bat" in which we get several bat-themed movies to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Batman's first appearance in comics. I've even come to think it might be best to also go slower with Gotham City Sirens and release that movie in 2019 as well, and just accept that Aquaman will be the DCU's ambassador for 2018. This might upset some fans, but it turns 2019 into a year in which all three of those potential projects -- Titans, The Batman, and Gotham City Sirens -- could include subplots that tie them all together in a neat little bat-package to celebrate Batman's anniversary.
Regardless of the specific timing for those films, it's clear that Warner needs to really finally put together a small group of people fully empowered to come up with a well-developed game plan for the DCU overall. Their mission should be as follows: selecting the characters to be used and dividing them into their own corners (the bat-family for example is ripe for some great exploitation in various team-ups and spinoffs for years, as does the Superman family or the Shazam character base, and so on); figuring out the ideal concepts and stories around which the characters' films and eventual crossovers should be based; and using all of that as a basic framework and outline to guide the selection of various collaborative teams for each project. This doesn't have to be carved in stone with details for every story, just a few key stories from source material to provide guidance for where each character's own path is headed and where the overall DCU is headed.
Take time to talk to several directors and writers, figure out who works best together and want to work together on which projects, and then give them time to go write their story ideas and plan things. When they're done, approve or modify those story plans, and greenlight them only if and when everything seems solid and is proceeding as needed. This is the way to have a larger DCU overarching story and connective tissue while letting all of the projects focus on stories derived from the best source material options, in a form giving wide creative latitude to the directors and writers to explore their own visions within a simple but clear set of expectations (like the Bond franchise, for example).
And all the while, respect the privacy and need for some secrecy while stories are developed, but don't try to hide disagreements or avoid revelations of problems. This is art, it's a creative process, but it's also a multi-billion dollar business, so disagreements and problems are bound to happen and only become bigger stories that provoke worse press and speculation if and when the facts are obscured or clouded by confusion and reluctant admissions. It's easier to put positive spin on bad news if you just admit it outright, treat it as no big deal, and point to the positives and how you're going to address the issue.
Warner's been doing this a long time, so of course they know all of this already. The problem is that it has seemed, for various reasons, like lately they haven't been sure how to apply these obvious and simple truths to the DCU, even while they do their usual great job of it with other projects and franchises. And often, they were too quick to try to solve problems that weren't necessarily problems, or that were problems on the way to working themselves out already.
A few minor changes in the past -- releasing the original director's theatrical cuts of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, waiting to announce Ben Affleck as director on The Batman until a finished script was in hand and he was firmly contractually committed to direct it, going slower with The Flash and not hiring directors when the screenplay wasn't in the best shape to proceed (the fact it's being rewritten now despite the lack of a new director at the helm is a sign the studio is moving in a different direction with it at their own discretion) -- would've resulted in better critical reception for the released films, less appearance of constant changes in leadership on upcoming projects, and less impression of trouble behind the scenes due to uncertainty about how to proceed with these huge properties.
The DCU is a vast library of properties and stories dating back nearly 80 years, with a jumbled internal history containing an endless assortment of great stories from which to pull inspiration. Taking all of that, finding the right combinations for each of a dozen or more characters, and then making it all work together in a way that's faithful enough to please the fans, critics, and mainstream audiences who don't read comic books is surely an immense task few people could be expected to handle without some bumps in the road.
But look, let's be frank -- Marvel did it, and did it to near-perfection (I don't want a Marvel vs DC debate here; I love both, but even if you don't like Marvel, there's no rational way to deny Marvel has done a superb job translating their comic book universe to the big screen correctly and effectively with enormous success), and Warner has done it to near-perfection with individual characters many times in the past. Early Superman movies, most Batman movies, and Watchmen (which remains one of the true masterpieces of the genre) for example are all pretty commonly praised today, even if we can debate the merits of the current DCU pictures (I love Batman v Superman, I think Suicide Squad was pretty terrific -- especially the extended cut -- and I like Man of Steel). So it can be done, and done to acclaim.
So getting the DCU right takes time and takes a lot of work, but it's not hard to figure out how to get it right and all of the tools necessary to do it are readily available. Time and advance planning are the two ingredients that seem to be most important right now, and that have been in shorter supply during the period of studio reactions to early negative press. There are hundreds of millions of dollars tied up in each of these films, people's careers and reputations are on the line, and there's billions of dollars in revenue on the table waiting to be had, so the reasons for the stress and some of these bumps are obvious. But that's all the more reason to invest in the time and planning to make the best use of the huge library of great material and characters and decades of history at their disposal, because that's the obvious and easy recipe that takes care of all of those concerns about the investments and careers and reputations and revenue. That's the ONLY answer, the ONLY combination, in fact, that works.
Making a great Batman movie that Ben Affleck wants to be part of shouldn't be painful or cause headaches and grief. Getting a fantastic director who wants to make such a movie should be a snap, they should be lining up at the door to ask for that job. Sketching out a rough outline for a few Batman movies -- including spinoff potential for a larger bat-world with Gotham City Sirens, Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, Suicide Squad, and the Teen Titans -- should be an exciting and interesting and fairly obvious, simple process. It's only hard right now because of a series of snowballing events that were avoidable and in retrospect should be easy to avoid recurring in the future. The path is obvious, the map readily available. I hope that despite the unfortunate developments with The Batman, the silver lining will be an eagerness to turn this into an opportunity to use that map for vigorous planning.
Box office figures and tallies based on data via Box Office Mojo, Rentrak, and TheNumbers.
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