Over the past two months, the DC Cinematic Universe has been falling to pieces. I, personally, am a fan of MAN OF STEEL and BATMAN V. SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. However, both BATMAN V. SUPERMAN and SUICIDE SQUAD were divisive to say the least. On top of that, THE FLASH is starting from scratch, Ryan Reynolds is back in the mix for GREEN LANTERN CORPS. (…?), and new spinoff movies seem to be replacing the properties DC was comfortable with just a few years ago…

NOW, the worst of it all may have just landed: Ben Affleck has dropped out of directing THE BATMAN. The actor will still star in the film, but Variety reports that he mutually dropped out of the director’s chair while discussing the film with Warner Brothers. Yikes…

So the big question arises: who SHOULD direct THE BATMAN? Matt Reeves, known for CLOVERFIELD and DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, is rumored to be on the shortlist, but there are surely more on that list. AND I’ve always thought about who would be cool to helm a Batman movie.

So while we’re all speculating, here are five incredible directors who would be AMAZING for THE BATMAN.

David Fincher

 

My personal favorite director in Hollywood today, Fincher is a fan favorite for his gritty directorial style. Known for films such as Seven and Fight Club, Fincher also has experience working with Affleck before in 2014’s critical darling Gone Girl. All of Fincher’s films put an emphasis on the characters. In a cinematic universe that has been criticized for not doing so, Fincher would hopefully do some course correction and establish the same mysterious tone that his fans have loved for decades.

 

Tom Ford

Despite having only directed two films and being primarily known as a fashion designer, Ford exudes style. Batman films are always recognized for their signature styles, whether they be cheesy or realistic or comic-book-ish, the films are distinct. Ford could take the darkness that he used in Nocturnal Animals to take Bruce Wayne on a dark journey, perhaps through Arkham Asylum. In addition to being able to juggle a lot of characters in his films, Ford’s fashion past would surely make the set design and costumes of the film feel superb.

 

Damien Chazelle

Even Mr. La La Land will probably stay away from comic book movies for a while, Chazelle would be incredible for a tale about the Caped Crusader. His use of long takes and evoking of emotion in La La Land are perfect in depicting Bruce Wayne’s troubled past. Not to mention, his masterpiece Whiplash was completely focused on showing the determination of characters. This would be essential in portraying the Dark Knight as a Caped Crusader as opposed to “violent killer” many felt him to be after BvS. (Plus, having the man who will 99% positively take home the Oscar for Best Director helm a Batman movie… That would be pretty sweet.)

 

Darren Aronofsky

For those unaware, Aronofsky was originally set to direct BATMAN: YEAR ONE. The film looked incredibly different than any other Batman origin on film to date. In the era following BATMAN AND ROBIN (*shivers*), Warner Brothers was looking to do a much darker and more realistic version of the hero. Though Aronofsky’s version did not come to fruition (a script of the scrapped project can still be found online), the director’s tone carried into BATMAN BEGINS in 2005. It would be interesting to let the Black Swan visionary take the project over a decade later, seeing many new ideas in a cinematic universe that would have lots of Bat-toys to play with…

 

Zach Snyder

Put your keyboards down haters! Snyder did a fantastic job directing MAN OF STEEL in 2013 and the Bruce Wayne/Batman character was by far the best part of BATMAN V. SUPERMAN. If you take away an excess of characters and let Snyder make a film that is contained, like Man of Steel, I have faith it will turn out excellently. 300 and Watchmen are both excellent examples of stylistic films that would paint a grim yet fascinating look at Bruce Wayne’s world. I, for one, would be very supportive.

***

Then again, those are just my five choices for potential THE BATMAN directors! Let me know in the comments who you guys think should take over the project. Be sure to follow me on Twitter @JohnMHayeck, and check me out on YouTube by searching ‘John Hayeck.’ And as always, thank you guys so much for reading.