You have to think that when the dust settles on all of this and we're twenty-odd years removed, there's got to be a great documentary to come out of all of the issues with Warner Bros. and the post-Christopher Nolan stuff.
Think something along Hearts Of Darkness or The Kid Stays In The Picture. Anyway, more trouble in the DC camp as it's been reported by THR that Matt Reeves - who had committed to directing The Batman - has now walked away from the negotiating table with Warner Bros. over issues supposedly to do with preparation time.
Reeves, who is currently in post-production on War For The Planet Of The Apes, has made no official comment on the story, nor has Warner Bros. for that matter. THR's source says that The Batman is happening no matter what and that other names are now being considered, including Ridley Scott (yes, really) and Don't Breathe's Fede Alvarez.
This comes on the heels of rumours that Ben Affleck is eager to dump Batman and leave the cowl behind him. Reeves had apparently committed to directing The Batman and was working out a deal with Warner Bros. when talks broke down, and the hope is that negotiations may restart "when heads cool." Ben Affleck was originally lined up to direct The Batman from his script co-written with Geoff Johns, but backed away as pulling quadruple-duty between acting, starring, writing and producing proved too much for him.
What's clear is that there is chaos behind the scenes in the DC Cinematic Universe, and Warner Bros. are eager to get an experienced name to grab a handle on the situation - hence why they're talking to Mel Gibson to take on Suicide Squad 2.
Reeves walking away from The Batman is another in a list of directors backing away from DC. David Ayer is out of directing Suicide Squad 2, as we know, and Seth Grahame-Smith also walked away from The Flash over the old familiar 'creative differences' line. Michelle MacLaren also backed off Wonder Woman, again over creative differences, and James Wan - although he didn't bail - was reportedly anxious over Aquaman.
Behind-the-scenes drama is nothing new in blockbusters or the comic-book movie variant, of course. Marvel and Disney have had their own share of problems, what with Edgar Wright leaving Ant-Man behind and Patty Jenkins walking off from Thor: The Dark World. However, DC / Warner Bros' troubles seem to becoming more frequent and of a higher profile than other franchise machines.
What do you think? Is DC in trouble? Let us know in the comments.
Via THR
