Here’s some news that may, or may not delight you, depending how you felt about his efforts the past few years. Ben Affleck is stepping away from the cowl and will be replaced by a much younger Batman.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. will be releasing a new Caped Crusader movie come 25 June 2021, simply titled The Batman.  Matt Reeves is tied to the project as director, being known for helming flicks such as War/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes as well as one of our favourites, Cloverfield.

Deadline notes that the new movie will not be based on Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. It’s a shame, because Year One is a classic in the Batman canon. Affleck apparently worked on a previous script for The Batman, with Reeves now also taking over that duty.

Affleck, who played Batman in Justice League, Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, seems to be graciously handing over the duties, even tweeting about the new project. Now of course the hunt is on for the next Batman, and we can imagine that there will be blood on the forums. Good luck for whoever needs to make that call.

Excited for #TheBatman in Summer 2021 and to see @MattReevesLA vision come to life. https://t.co/GNgyJroMIO

— Ben Affleck (@BenAffleck) January 31, 2019