The rumours had been strong on this, but the official announcement came in now. Ben Affleck has dropped the black cowl and has opened the doors for other actors to take on the role of The Batman. The standalone movie, which will be a part of the DC Extended Universe, will be directed by Matt Reeves of War of The Planet of the Apes fame. The movie has been in the working for long, and was announced by Warner Bros, seeing how well the fans had received Ben Affleck's take on the character in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros to Release The Batman in June 2021 and Ben Affleck Will NOT be a Part of It.

However, with the underperformance of Justice League, The Batman had been in development hell for long with no official announcement. It was also strongly speculated that Ben Affleck, who was once touted to direct the film, won't be a part of it. Now with the actor himself confirming his exit through a tweet, which you can see below, the makers will be looking for a younger actor to play Bruce Wayne. Ben Affleck Breaks Silence, Says Addiction a Lifelong Struggle.

Though the casting for the new Batman has not yet been confirmed, the release date for the film has been revealed to be during Summer 2021. Since the casting has not yet been confirmed, why not let us suggest some actors for that role!  Darren Aronofsky Claims His Batman Movie Would Have Been Grittier.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Sure, he is playing Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home but when has that stopped Marvel and Warner Bros from swapping their actors? Didn't Ben Affleck once played Daredevil in a Marvel movie? Jake Gyllenhaal is a supremely talented actor bundled with enough charisma and he has the commitment to pull off the role even physically.

Charlie Cox

Daredevil and Batman are similar kind of superheroes, expect that the former is blind and is not that wealthy. Which makes Charlie Cox, better known for playing Daredevil in the now defunct Netflix series, a fine choice. He might be following Affleck's footpaths, but fans of the Netflix show will know that Cox will just own the role. Unless, Marvel will try to revive the Dardevil series somewhere else (please do!)

Michael B Jordan

Michael B Jordan's casting will be looked down for those purists, who wants to keep Bruce 'white'. But if you are willing to turn a blind eye towards the race, Jordan would do a great job with the character. He has the sex appeal to pull off the playboy persona of Wayne, while also the acting chops to delivering the brooding side of the Batman. Look how terrific he was as Erik Killmonger in his last superhero movie, Black Panther. Of course, we will forget Fantastic Four ever existed!

Armie Hammer

Did you know Armie Hammer was once hired to play Batman in George Miller's Justice League movie that got scrapped? Why not this incredibly wonderful Oscar-nominated actor another chance to take on that mask?

Ryan Gosling

It is a crime that we have denied Ryan Gosling an Oscar for so long. It is also a crime that Gosling has not yet worked in a superhero movie yet. The Batman is a great choice for the star to make amends for that, since the character has more scope for him to impress as an actor than most of the other superheroes. And we all know, Gosling loves to act!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 31, 2019 04:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).