Recent developments on Warner Bros Discovery, WBD, show that there is a high chance that Ben Affleck’s Batman may return to the DCU. In an article from The Hollywood Reporter, WBD head David Zaslav has painted a picture of the company as well as gave a peek into DC Studios. The transfer of leadership for DC Studios must be one of the most observed transitions in the history of DC. Many got pumped with the news that Peter Safran and James Gunn are going to co-CEO the new studio of WBD.
Just a few words from Zaslav and it can be interpreted as something the new studio is preparing for in line with his 10-year vision. Meanwhile, he also shared that Safran and Gunn are almost done with the DC bible. The DC bible is more like a collection of stories that will map the progression of the DCU in the coming years.
WBD Alludes To The Return Of Ben Affleck As Batman In DCU
Image: Warner Bros.
Zaslav is not actually keeping his thoughts to himself. He has shared time and again about his desire to rival the other studio showcasing comic book stories adapted to movies and series. In his mind, it’s DC Studios that has the capacity to compete with what Marvel is right now. In fact, to do this, he even tried to get Marvel Studio President Kevin Feige to jump his ship and hop on board DC. To which, the executive politely declined.
But now, as the year draws a close, DC has just released Black Adam and is in position to release Shazam 2, Aquaman 2, Blue Beetle and The Flash. After these titles, there still exists other universes in the franchise. Apparently, he means to streamline the number of universes in the future. THR quotes the WBD head:
I think over the next few years, you’re going to see a lot of growth and opportunity around DC; there’s not going to be four Batmans. And so part of our strategy is, drive the hell out of DC, which James and Peter are going to do. I think they’ve thrilled the fans. I think they’re going to thrill you over a period of time.
WBD Alludes To The Return Of Ben Affleck As Batman In DCU
Image: Warner Bros.
Streamlining the stories to a unified grand story will require a main set of characters. The only character that is keeping a number of actors is Batman. DC Studios has Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and Robert Pattinson active in the current line of stories. Even though these are just three by our count, we cannot take the possibility of Todd Philipps’ Joker getting his own Dark Knight.
Does this mean that they are considering merging some universes? We already know that Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck share a universe or a narrative thanks to The Flash. We wonder if the worlds of directors Philipps and Matt Reeves will be merged down the line. Could that be a possibility?
Also, there are rumors that new projects are appearing down the line for Ben Affleck solidifying his claim as THE Batman of the DCU. Once upon a time, there were movies with him to star as the Caped Crusader and even direct it. But those didn’t push through. Are those on the table again? Questions.
