This is a conversation I got into on the TVTropes Wild Mass Guess page for Justice League. What's your take on the issues being discussed here? (For the record, I loved Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and Justice League).
Me: A theory on how to recast Batman. A future film could open with Ben Affleck's Batman fighting the League of Assassins around a Lazarus Pit. Batman suffers a mortal wound, falls into the pit, and his features change to those of a younger actor. He comes out of the pit and there you go!
Other person: If they do Flashpoint, a giant Continuity Reboot a la X-Men: Days of Future Past or Terminator Genisys would solve their problems.
- Me: OP here. I was just talking about the possibility of Ben Affleck quitting, not the fate of the universe as a whole. Isn't this universe too young for a reboot?
- Other person:The DCEU franchise is five movies long, one more than the original Batman series which got rebooted by Nolan, and one more than Superman after Superman Returns, so I would say the franchise is quite old already. I think recasting Ben Affleck is the least of their problems now. Recasting everyone other than Wonder Woman wouldn't be a big problem.
- Me: OP here. Some YMMV on this. The DC Films universe still feels awfully new to me. Man of Steel was created with the intention of making a Superman trilogy. Plans changed after it came out. The DC Films shared universe project released its first interconnected films in 2016. I don't think recasting "everybody other than Wonder Woman" is a feasible strategy, and Warner Brothers' stated plans don't fit with it. Their stated plans are Aquaman, (already filmed) Wonder Woman 2 (no barriers there) Shazam, (no barriers there) and Green Lantern Corps, (not cast yet). Eventually they'll get to Flashpoint, Cyborg, and Suicide Squad 2, but I don't think any of those movies will require recasting.
- Other person: Given how they rush their films, and as you yourself mention shelved plans for a Superman trilogy, and how chaotic the productions have been, with fan feedback in a Pavlovian fashion leading to knee-jerk reactions and changes on the fly, I don't think DC really has commitment and follow-through. The reception of Justice League given the stakes, the build-up, the reshoots is disastrous. So I don't see how any further attempts at salvage will work out.
- Me: OP here. Hmm. I see what you're saying. But consider this. DC Films has lots of films on the table. Some take longer to get into production than others. Flashpoint seems to be one of the longer ones, since no one wants to direct it and it keeps changing scripts. By the time it comes out, Aquaman, Wonder Woman 2, Shazam, and Green Lantern Corps will already have been released. If they are received well, then there won't be anyone clamouring for a reboot by then. If they are all received badly, then Warner Bros. will probably just stop making DC movies (at least for a decade or so). Either way, a Flashpoint-fueled reboot seems unlikely to me.
- Me: OP here. I was just talking about the possibility of Ben Affleck quitting, not the fate of the universe as a whole. Isn't this universe too young for a reboot?