Will Ben Affleck direct himself in a Batman movie? That's the question on everybody's mind as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice slowly and methodically lumbers its way to a March, 2016 release date. It seems like we've been waiting for this follow-up to Man of Steel to get here forever. But once it arrives, it will open the floodgates to the DCEU, with two new movies coming every year until 2020. While most of the slate has been confirmed by Warner Bros. and DC, there is still a question of whether or not we will see a true Batman standalone adventure before the end of the decade. Ben Affleck won't confirm that is true. But he sounds optimistic. In a recent interview with Total Film, he had this to say.

"If I could make it work, yeah, Obviously that would be like a dream. The trick is, as to any movie, is to make sure that you - if you're going to direct it - that you can make it good. You've got to have the right idea and the right take on it... Broadly speaking, it's something I'd be open to, for sure. It's a very exciting idea."

The previous rumors claim that Ben Affleck and DC's chief creative officer Geoff Johns are teaming up to write an Untitled Batman Reboot, which the actor will also star in as Batman and direct. It was then stated that Warner Bros. and DC have much bigger plans for Ben Affleck's Batman than anyone imagined. The studio is rumored to be developing a trilogy of stand alone Dark Knight movies, and are currently in pre-production, hashing out plans for what is described as a "Golden deal" for the actor/director.

This rumor started making the rounds after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice screened for the first time on the Warner Bros. studio lot. The studio executives in attendance were said to be so 'wowed' by Ben Affleck's performance as Bruce Wayne, that they instantly knew they needed to move forward with a whole new trilogy focused solely on The Dark Knight. This is supposedly happening alongside the two Justice League movies.

Warner Bros. is said to be working out an extended deal with Ben Affleck that would lock him in as Batman "for the next 10 years or so." Studio executives reportedly consider the actor "the definitive Batman," and plan on centering their entire DC movie universe around his character. It still hasn't been confirmed by anyone directly involved with the DCEU that Ben Affleck is making a solo Batman movie, or the other 2 movies in this supposedly planned trilogy. And we don't know what other DC Comics movies the studio plans on using him in. A few months after Batman v Superman hits theaters, the actor will return as Bruce Wayne/Batman in Suicide Squad, set for release on August 5, 2016. After that, he will appear in Justice League Part 1 and Justice League Part 2, which are set for release in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Aside from those movies, Warner Bros. will also put out Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg and Green Lantern between now and 2020. We'll have to see how Batman's interactions with all of these characters unfolds on the big screen, but it's certainly possible that the Caped Crusader could show up in any of these movies.

Ben Affleck is also directing another movie for Warner Bros., Live by Night, which he will also star in alongside Zoe Saldana, Sienna Miller and Elle Fanning. The movie was originally set to be released next October, but the studio is pushing it to 2017. Another Ben Affleck/Warner Bros. movie, The Accountant, is being pushed from January 29, 2016 to the October 7, 2016 date vacated by Live by Night. Neither of these projects have started production yet, and this is the second time Live by Night has been delayed. It was originally scheduled to hit theaters this Christmas, but production was delayed after the actor/filmmaker landed the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice role. It is believed that these movies were delayed to give him more time to write the first solo Batman movie with Geoff Johns. Are you glad that the studio is developing a superhero movie trilogy around Ben Affleck's Batman? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more updates.