Ben Affleck to make a triumphant return to DC? James Gunn confirms meeting: 'We want him'

Writer-director and DC Studios' co-CEO James Gunn recently made a bombshell announcement. He made it clear that Henry Cavill will not be the Superman of the DC Universe slate that is being developed by him and his partner Peter Safran. Cavill confirmed this in a statement on Instagram, in which he expressed his disappointment but sent his best wishes to Gunn and Safran. While writing on Twitter, Gunn said he and Safran met with Cavill and explored "possibilities', which could mean either that Cavill might return in the role in some way, or he might play some other role. All this is moot, though.

Also Read:Why James Gunn leading DC Studios is a great news for fans

Meanwhile Gunn has also said he and Safran met with another star of the old, and presumably now dead, DCEU: Ben Affleck. But the meeting focussed on not Affleck the actor, but Affleck the director.

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In a tweet, Gunn wrote, "Met with Ben yesterday precisely because he wanted to direct and we want him to direct." However, Affleck will not necessarily direct the Superman movie, as Gunn said while he has been writing the script, he does not have a director in mind, yet.

Affleck played the role of a grizzled version of Bruce Wayne or Batman in 'Batman v Superman' before reprising the role in 2017's 'Justice League'. While the movies he played the role in were panned, his own performance was mostly lauded. Before Robert Pattinson-led Matt Reeves-directed 'The Batman' became reality, Affleck has signed on to star in and direct a Bat-movie. But after the commercial debacle that 'Justice League' was, the higher-ups at Warner Bros overhauled DC Films, the entity that existed before DC Studios, and redirected focus on smaller, independent franchise rather than a unified, cohesive cinematic universe.

The strategy, it appears, is changing again after Gunn and Safran joined. And again, a full-fledged cinematic universe is in development.