Warner Bros. Pictures announced today that Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Cloverfield) has been set to direct The Batman. Reeves will also serve as a producer on the new standalone action adventure centering on one of DC's most enduringly popular Super Heroes. The announcement was made by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Content Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group. Emmerich stated.

"We are thrilled to have Matt Reeves taking the helm of Batman, the crown jewel of our DC slate. Matt's deep roots in genre films and his evolution into an emotional world-building director make him the perfect filmmaker to guide the Dark Knight through this next journey."

Matt Reeves noted.

"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. I am incredibly honored and excited to be working with Warner Bros. to bring an epic and emotional new take on the Caped Crusader to the big screen."

Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. The Batman will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. While Ben Affleck wasn't mentioned in the initial press release by Warner Bros., it has since been confirmed that the actor is still involved with the project as an actor, co-writer and producer.

No concrete plot details have been revealed for The Batman. In the movie, Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne will face off against Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke, played by Joe Manganiello. Also returning for this solo adventure are Jeremy Irons as Alfred, first introduced in last year's Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, who will be introduced in this November's Justice League.

Ben Affleck and Geoff Johns wrote the initial screenplay for The Batman, with Chris Terrio reportedly helping out with rewrites. It was reported last week that talks between Warner Bros. and Matt Reeves had broken down, but cooler heads obviously prevailed, and now he will move forward with the reboot, at least for the time being. Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez were waiting in the wings to take over.

It's interesting that Ben Affleck's name wasn't initially included in the new Warner Bros. PR as he was recently rumored to be done with the character of Batman, and is still reportedly trying to get out of his contract. It's possible that a new actor could come in and take over as Bruce Wayne but for now, Affleck seems to be staying in place.

The Batman doesn't have a release date yet. But Warner Bros. does have a few open slots on its calendar for untitled DC Movies, and we could see this standalone adventure as earlier as next year. Ben Affleck will next appear in Justice League on November 17. And it's rumored that he has a quick cameo in this summer's Wonder Woman which will help connect Batman V Superman to both it and Justice League, making for one cohesive storyline between all these DC heroes.