Ben Affleck’s Canceled Batman Movie Would Have Covered “80 Years of Unexplored Mythos”

Jay Oliva, known for his involvement in major DCEU movies like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Wonder Woman, as well as directing DC’s animated films such as The Dark Knight Returns and Flashpoint Paradox, recently revealed that Ben Affleck‘s canceled Batman movie aimed to bring a fresh angle to Batman’s 80-year comic legacy.

Jay Oliva Liked Affleck’s Fresh Take on 80-Year Batman History

Speaking to Inverse, Oliva praised Ben Affleck’s shelved Batman script. He explained that the script integrated various untapped Batman storylines while also introducing a unique perspective. Oliva admired how Affleck’s story was a blend of unexplored comic elements from the character’s 80-year history, presented in an innovative way.

Oliva said, “I’ve worked on a lot of Batman things, and what was really cool about it was, it was tying together a lot of really cool Batman storylines that had never been really explored.” He added, “Ben’s story was gonna cover something that had never really been covered in comics but was building off of storylines in the Batman mythos over the last 80 years and approaching it from a new kind of perspective.”

He continued, “It was very clever, and there were a lot of things about it that I really loved that I wish had come to fruition. It was a really great project in the beginning. Ben had to step away for personal reasons, and I totally understood, but the time that I spent with Ben working on the project was fantastic.”

Speaking to the New York Times, Affleck said, “I showed somebody the Batman script.” He added, “They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.'” The New York Times also revealed Affleck made a decision to step down “after deciding that the troubled shoot for Justice League had sapped his interest.”

What is the Plot of Ben Affleck’s Canceled Batman Movie?

The leaked plot of Affleck’s Canceled Batman follows Slade Wilson, a.k.a. Deathstroke, breaking Lex Luthor out of prison after the events of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Lex Luthor then invites him to his Monaco yacht. Slade is informed here that the identity of Batman is none other than Bruce Wayne, which is key information in helping him kill the Dark Knight. Slade Wilson lost his son, and he blames Batman for his death. Through the course of the film, Slade systematically dismantles Bruce’s life. He destroys Bruce’s finances, and he targets those who are close to him. Murder and mayhem are caused to pin Bruce into a corner with a slow and painful vengeance.

Affleck’s Batman last appeared in DC’s ‘The Flash,’ and it is also reported that Ben Affleck’s Batman scenes were removed from Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

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