Update: Again, not a big surprise but Warner Bros. has now confirmed that Ben Affleck will be directing as well.
It's not exactly a big surprise, but Warner Bros. has finally confirmed that there will indeed to a standalone Batman film starring Ben Affleck in our future. Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara made the announcement at CinemaCon in Las Vegas and our own Paul Shirey was in attendance to bring us the big news.
There has been plenty of speculation that Ben Affleck will direct the standalone Batman film in addition to starring in it, but Tsujihara's comment doesn't exactly clear that up. However, it seems to be a good bet that Affleck will take on directing duties as it's something that both Affleck and BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE director Zack Snyder have hinted at in the past. Several weeks ago Affleck also said that he was working on "something" with DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns, which many took to be the standalone Batman film. As Affleck's Batman was easily the best part of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE, giving him control over the character both in front and behind the camera is something I can definitely get excited about.