24 Feb – Late last month, Ben Affleck announced his departure as director for his upcoming Batman solo vehicle, "The Batman", and since then Warner Bros. has been busy flashing the bat signal for a new director. Now, looks like the distress call has been answered by none other than director Matt Reeves ("Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", "Cloverfield", "War for the Planet of the Apes"). "I have loved the Batman story since I was a child. He is such an iconic and compelling character, and one that resonates with me deeply," Reeves stated. It was mentioned that Reeves will also be serving as a producer on the standalone movie. However, there was no mention of Affleck's name anywhere in the studio's press statement, which has caused quite a commotion among DC fans. While previously Affleck stated that he was to stay on the project – despite leaving his directing post – as the titular star and producer, now there are speculations that maybe Batfleck is retiring his cape too. Still, his name's absence might not mean much as Affleck himself has today posted a welcome Tweet to Reeves, "Welcome to the Batcave, @MattReevesLA", so fret not, Batfleck may not be leaving his Dark Knight post anytime soon.
Another good news for DC fans, Batman's lovable sidekick Robin a.k.a. Dick Grayson is getting his own first ever live-action standalone movie! The movie will focus on his persona as Nightwing, the identity Grayson assumed after growing out of his Robin guise, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It is set to be helmed by "The Lego Batman Movie" director Chris McKay, who of course already has experience directing Grayson as Robin in the animated movie. Robin has yet to appear in the new live-action movies alongside Batman. He will not be appearing in this year's "Justice League Part One", while in 2016's "Batman V Superman", only his graffiti-covered suit was shown. No dates have been set for either "The Batman" or the Nightwing-centric movie, but for now fans can enjoy the Batman and Robin pairing in the hilarious "The Lego Batman Movie", now showing in cinemas.