When news came in that Ben Affleck had stepped away from the director's chair for the standalone Batman movie, many - including ourselves - speculated as to who could conceivably step in and take over.
Names like Gavin O'Connor and Michelle MacLaren were offered up, but one name was gaining more traction than others - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' director Matt Reeves.
A report by Variety late last night confirms that Reeves has committed to directing the film with Affleck still involved - albeit in a reduced capacity - as director. Reeves previously replaced Rupert Wyatt as director on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, turning a troubled production into one of the best sci-fi blockbusters we've seen in years.
Before that, Reeves directed the American remake of Let The Right One In, with Chloe Moretz and Richard Jenkins. His first film was the found-footage monster movie, Cloverfield, which was a critical and commercial smash. In other words, he has a strong track record and moving into a major franchise like this is perfect for him.
Reeves has War of the Planet of the Apes coming up in July and, very obviously, his schedule means he can now jump right into The Batman. Variety's report also states that filming has been pushed back to the end of 2017, as Affleck was on back-to-back promotional tours for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Accountant and Live By Night.
No release date has been confirmed for The Batman, but we'd expect to see it some time in 2018. What do you make of Reeves as director? Let us know in the comments!
Via Variety
