Superhero movie fans must wait a bit longer than anticipated for the next solo Batman movie. “The Batman” won’t begin shooting until some time in 2019 meaning 2020 serves as the likely target release. Director Matt Reeves seems to be taking his time with the development of the new adventure. Considering the poor reception of several DC Extended Universe films, Reeves slow-walk development of “The Batman” makes sense. The Ben Affleck films featuring the newest version of Batman had fans yearning for the days of Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. Originally, Affleck was to direct and star in “The Batman.” After “Justice League” performed so poorly at the box office, changes to original filming plans changed.

Reeves won’t be using the original draft of the script, but may retain elements of it. Reportedly, the new direction of “The Batman” may follow a film noir approach. This wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a Batman story. Over the years, neo noir Batman stories proved popular in the comics. Creating a Batman noir film could potentially freshen up the Caped Crusader and provide fans with a chance to see something different with the character.

A question emerges here. Will there be a different actor playing Batman? Rumors swirled that Ben Affleck’s days as Batman would come to an end as Reeves wished to recast the lead role. Apparently, no one knows for sure if Affleck will or won’t play the hero in “The Batman.” Things become a bit complicated here because — contrary to prior reports — “The Batman” intends to be part of the DC Extended Universe. At one point, the film was to take place outside of the universe of Affleck films. Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment now reveal “The Batman” definitely will be part of the DCEU. Of course, this could change at some point as well.

Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment both likely wish “The Batman” moved along as smoothly as a Marvel Cinematic Universe project, but Marvel’s development and production crew hasn’t released several critical and box office underperformers. Recasting and setting “The Batman” outside the DCEU won’t be necessary if Aquaman, Flashpoint, and Wonder Woman 2 return the film series to the good graces of audiences and critics. If those three films flop, however, “The Batman” might be forced to become a standalone film outside established continuity.