Ben Affleck to Direct, Star in Solo Batman Film 

Straight from the mouth of Warner Bros chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on Tuesday night: Ben Affleck will split directing and acting duties in a standalone Batman film as one of ten movies comprising the DC cinematic universe in the next four years, including solo vehicles for Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, and The Flash.

A July 2015 article in The Hollywood Reporter from ComicCon mentioned Affleck working on a Batman film with Geoff Johns. He will continue to don the famous cape in the upcoming Justice League films slated for November 2017 and June 2019. Though no date has been officially set for the solo project, there are points in the DC schedule in fall 2018 and 2019 that the film could take.

According to Box Office Mojo, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has grossed $785 million since its premiere on March 25, despite tepid reviews from critics and a sharp drop in ticket sales after the first weekend. The next DC film to hit screens is Suicide Squad on August 5.

Ben Affleck has already directed three features: Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010), and Argo (2012), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He also has an Oscar for Best Screenplay for 1997’s Good Will Hunting, shared with cowriter Matt Damon.