Warner Bros. are reportedly trying to retire Ben Affleck as Batman after his first movie flopped

PLENTY of A-listers have worn the Batsuit over the years but Ben Affleck’s stint as The Caped Crusader might end up being a lot shorter than he is expecting.

A SLEW of A-list actors have filled the iconic Batman suit over the last few decades, and its most recent inhabitant, Ben Affleck, may enjoy a much shorter tenure than anticipated. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say that Warner Bros. are quietly seeking ways to work Affleck’s Bruce Wayne out of the picture in upcoming Batman and other D.C. films.

Affleck’s first go as Batman was a box-office flop.

Affleck stepped down from directing stand-alone flick The Batman earlier this year and new director Matt Reeves of the Apes reboot franchise recently announced he would be scrapping Affleck’s original script and starting from scratch.

While Warner Bros.’ film studio chief Toby Emmerich said “Ben is our Batman” and that they’d like to “keep him in the cowl” as long as possible, the trouble surrounding production seems to say otherwise.

Concern seems to have been sparked after Batman v. Superman’s critical failure and the fact that Reeves seems to be set on creating a new vision for the franchise, as he successfully did with his Apes flicks.

The other main issue reportedly has to do with Affleck’s physical traits. By the end of a hypothetical Reeves trilogy, Affleck would be in his mid-50s, and as THR wrote, “Affleck’s body hasn’t exactly been a temple.”

The cast of Justice League and Affleck are heading to San Diego Comic-Con to promote the new flick this weekend. Warner Bros. has not commented on Affleck’s potential exit.

Ben Affleck will star in the upcoming Justice League alongside Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot.

This article originally appeared on Decider and has been republished here with permission.

Originally published as Warner Bros. are reportedly trying to retire Ben Affleck as Batman after his first movie flopped