Ben Affleck Passes On the Cowl to Next Dark Knight, ‘The Batman’ Set for 2021 Release

After playing the Dark Knight in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League, Ben Affleck is officially out from the Batman role. Despite that, Batfans are seeing a glimmer of hope for Matt Reeves’ as-yet-untitled solo Batman project as it receives a summer 2021 release date.

Deadline confirms Affleck’s departure from the role, to which the actor later tweeted about in support of the upcoming project. Reeves’ take on the Batman solo movie involves a much younger Bruce Wayne, but a replacement actor hasn’t been announced yet. Though various fan artworks theorizing about the possible list of actors were posted online, the role of the next Dark Knight remains to be filled.

Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019

Affleck might be out of the picture, but he still remains as one of the solo Batman movie’s producers.

The actor’s departure comes as no surprise—it’s been a long-time rumor, and Affleck is caught up in a bunch of projects, with the most recent one being the movie adaptation of Kate Alice Marshall’s novel, “I Am Still Alive.” The actor is attached to star and produce in the film.

Affleck’s portrayal of the flagship DC superhero received widespread acclaim, citing it as one of the strongest aspects of the divisive Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. BvS director Zack Snyder even shared multiple behind the scenes photos of Affleck in the Batman cowl, praising the actor’s work and element brought to the character.

Things took quite a turn when Reeves announced that he’s looking to tell a story of a younger Batman. Since then, fans have been going on a “will he or will he not” banter across social media. But now that it’s settled, the search is on for a new Batman. It might prove difficult, though, since Affleck’s performance have led many fans to call him the bast Batman since Christian Bale.