Who Will Replace Ben Affleck at 'Batman' Helm?

Ben Affleck confirmed this week that he will not be directing Warner Bros. upcoming stand-alone Batman film. Rumors had been circulating for quite a while that Affleck was thinking of giving up the job, and now he and the studio have made it official. Who then will direct this very important installment in Warner Bros. DC cinematic universe?

Affleck's decision to step aside came, the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice actor said, because he didn't feel that he could handle both starring in and directing the film. His recent attempt at doing both jobs in one film, Live by Night, bombed at the box office, but that film's failure reportedly did not lead the studio to lose confidence in Affleck.

Affleck will continue to star in and produce the Batman movie, but he'll look for a director with whom he can work successfully on the project. The short list of candidates for the job reportedly includes both Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Matt Ross. Of the two, Reeves is by far the better known; Ross is an actor (American Psycho) who only recently began directing his own features.

Reports also emerged this week that Affleck had brought in his Argo collaborator Chris Terrio to do re-writes on the Batman project. Terrio had previously worked on Batman v Superman and Justice League. Rumors suggest, however, that even Terrio's re-written script did not satisfy the studio and that the screenplay's weakness is the reason for Affleck's removal as director.