When it was announced that Ben Affleck would not be directing the next standalone Batman film, rumored to be titled The Batman, didn’t come as a big surprise. Development has been slow, and Affleck has been more-or-less committed to the job. The departure meant that the studio would be forced to look for possible directors to take the helm.

Now War for the Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves and Captain Fantastic director Matt Ross are possible candidates to direct the film. More on the story below.

Ben Affleck, who first starred as Batman as a part of the DCEU in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and will be in the upcoming Justice League, will no longer be directing the standalone Batman film. The news comes months after the studio first hinted during this summer’s San Diego Comic-Con that the actor would get behind the camera of his own superhero film. That was followed by countless Affleck dodging questions during his junkets for The Accountant and Live By Night. Just a few weeks ago, the actor insisted that he was going to direct the film.

But now comes word that he “cannot do both jobs to the level they require.” His and Warner Bros. statement is below.

Sooner or later we will be getting a Batman movie directed by Ben Affleck. But recent news of the actor not being able to commit to it because of the timing or inability to get the script “right” seems to push the timetable further back. The film doesn’t even have an official release date yet, even with Warner Bros. pushing a few other films back. But their efforts don’t seem to be working.

However, Affleck spoke about the current status of The Batman, and assures us that he will direct the film, just give him a “second.” Check out what he had to say below.

After Warner Bros. decided to push Justice League 2 to a later date – to give time for Zack Snyder to work on his passion project film, The Last Photograph – it didn’t take long for people to speculate that Ben Affleck‘s Batman, rumored to be titled The Batman, would be taking its June release date.

However, there was no confirmation that it would happen. Until now. The actor recently spoke about the status of his film, talking about the script, when he would start filming, and the reputation he has to uphold. Check out what he had to say below.

Zack Snyder has directed two out of the three DCEU films that have been released so far. Next year will see the release of his third DCEU film, Justice League. But before he will direct its sequel, he will be taking a break from that world by directing something a bit more grounded. A new report says he has lined up his long-in-development thriller The Last Photograph, a film set in war-torn Afghanistan. More on the story below.