It appears Ben Affleck will not be returning as Batman for a stand-alone feature following the upcoming Justice League film, according to his brother, Casey.
The younger Affleck confirmed what The Hollywood Reporter reported in late July while he visited WEEI’s Dale & Holley With Keefe radio show.
“I thought he was an OK Batman,” Casey said. “No, he was great. He was great. He’s a hero, so he had something to channel and work with there. But he’s not going to do that movie [The Batman], I don’t think. Sorry to say.”
When the interviewers reacted with shock, Affleck attempted to walk the statement back.
“Is that breaking news? Because I was just kind of making that up, I don’t know,” he said.
Warner Bros. did not comment on Casey’s remarks.
A source previously told THR that Warner Bros. was working on plans to usher out Affleck’s Batman — gracefully. Meaning, Justice League will likely be it for this incarnation of the Caped Crusader.
Officially, the studio previously said Affleck was its Batman and he was going to stay that way. Affleck himself said he wouldn’t be exiting the role while visiting Comic-Con to promote Justice League.
Affleck was slated to both direct and star in The Batman, but he stepped out of the director’s chair and was replaced by Matt Reeves. Reeves has also said he scrapped the script that Affleck worked on with Chris Terrio and DC’s Geoff Johns. No release date has been set for The Batman.
