10 Years Ago, Batman's Only Arkham Movie Was The Closest We'll Ever Get To Ben Affleck's Canceled DC Vision (2024)

Ben Affleck never made a solo Batman movie in the DCEU, although an animated Arkham film released in 2014 comes close to what the filmmaker had planned. Following the actor’s casting in the DCEU timeline as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Ben Affleck's celebrated career seemed to be leading to his directing and starring in a Batman film. Details surrounding the picture are inconclusive, but what is known is that it was intended to be called The Batman, that Joe Manganiello was set to play the villain, and that it would take place in Arkham Asylum.

Arkham Asylum has been an essential part of Batman lore, appearing most recently in Matt Reeves' The Batman film series that replaced Ben Affleck's. This iteration is receiving its own Arkham Asylum TV spin-off, but until then, Arkham Asylum has mostly been an intermittently featured location in the series and not a place for extended storytelling. There are two exceptions to this: the first being the Arkham series of Batman video games, and the second being an animated spin-off of those games.

Batman: Assault On Arkham Is A Very Unique Dark Knight Movie

Building on many of the same stories that were shaping up in the DCEU with the Suicide Squad, Batman: Assault on Arkham feels akin to Ben Affleck's plan for The Batman. In the animated movie, Amanda Waller assembles a Suicide Squad to break into Arkham Asylum and steal information from The Riddler. Featuring an enormous cast of characters, the movie is set in the DC animated universe but is based on the Arkham video games. This adaptation was selective and loose with the video game canon, with some voice actors from the games reprising their roles and others not.

Few cinematic takes on Batman have been able to contend with a large cast of characters. Batman & Robin was criticized for its oversized cast, which included Mr. Freeze, Bane, and Poison Ivy against a team of heroes, although that was hardly the worst feature of that film. With some considering Assault on Arkham the best Suicide Squad movie, it seems possible to find a perfect balance with each character in a larger Batman story. This successful execution of a large cast makes Batman: Assault on Arkham a model for the DCU to follow with its skilled storytelling and character management.

Batman: Assault On Arkham Has Notable Ties To Ben Affleck's DC Story Plans

While Deathstroke isn't featured in Batman: Assault on Arkham, the film still resembles much of what Ben Affleck seemingly had planned for his Batman movie. Like both the animated movie and The Batman, Affleck's film was set to take place in an already realized universe. There would be many villains in the world, some of which The Dark Knight had faced, others which he had not yet. Dedicating time to Batman's full rogue's gallery is a concept that the movies have still only achieved to a limited degree, making Assault on Arkham all the more notable as a result.

Similarly, just as in Assault on Arkham, a significant portion of Affleck's film was planned to be set in the iconic Arkham Asylum. The plot would revolve around the captured villains and teases like Robin's suit in Batman v Superman would be further explored. With Suicide Squad preceding its release, the possibility of Harley Quinn and Captain Boomerang making an appearance in the Affleck film, just as they did in Batman: Assault on Arkham, seemed likely.

Batman: Assault On Arkham Shows What The DCU Could Look Like

The DC Universe appears to be following the pattern set up in Assault on Arkham by building a world big enough for dozens of characters to coexist. Without a single film yet released, and with only one being filmed, everything known about Superman and the DC universe has already confirmed an enormous cast that includes Supergirl, Hawkgirl, Mr. Terrific, Green Lantern, and many others. It makes sense that this enormous world will also feature numerous villains, although only Lex Luthor and the Engineer have yet been confirmed.

Like Assault on Arkham, James Gunn understands that DC Comics are big and varied, with a number of interlocking stories occurring at all times - and that detailing less focal figures often pays dividends for the superhero genre. Audiences have grown to understand the size and shape of these universes, especially after the enormous success of the MCU. With a focus on Amanda Waller confirmed for the DCU, an Arkham series in the works, and James Gunn's previous involvement with The Suicide Squad, stories almost exactly like Batman: Assault on Arkham can and may take place in the new DCU.

Unfortunately, a Ben Affleck solo Batman film will likely never exist, even if there is hope of Affleck being recast in the DCU. Still, the inspirations behind that planned film can still be found in the Batman adaptations that have since followed. Pulling from pieces in the Matt Reeves universe and The Brave and the Bold in the DCEU, audiences can see some of the components of the abandoned Batman film that nearly came together under Ben Affleck.

Batman: Assault on Arkham

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Director

Jay Oliva , Ethan Spaulding

Release Date

August 12, 2014

Cast

Kevin Conroy , Neal McDonough , Hynden Walch , Matthew Gray , Troy Baker , Eric Bauza