Now comes the stretch…the part of this rumor that I’ve been trying to confirm since Friday and that I, myself, am having a hard time buying, and why this is only being reported as a rumor. I was given a name, not as someone who had absolutely been cast for this role, but someone that Warner Bros. had expressed interest in and that may have been present for either the recent meeting with Affleck or have met with WB very recently. Since being given the name I’ve reached out to his reps and received no response, so at this point we’ve decided to share the name with you, from one group of fans to another, knowing that it’s a rumor that we haven’t been able to substantiate and one that doesn’t seem to fit. However, as one of my colleagues said, Daniel Craig didn’t make sense as James Bond until you saw him. The name we were given as a potential replacement (or potential Bat-family member) was Jack O’Connell.

Our hope here is that by sharing the rumor, it’ll be confirmed, denied or shed some light on whatever the actual situation is that’s going on at Warner Bros. with The Batman. Stay tuned to That Hashtag Show for more on this story as it develops.

Aaron: When will we hear who will lead Matt Reeves' The Batman? Presumably, it won't be Ben Affleck.

Borys: The script is basically in, although Reeves will continue tweaking it and working on it. And I'm hearing the studio wants to start shooting in November. So let's say between now and then?

One of the things that seems to be getting a lot of thought is the amount of spectacle the film will have.

As I wrote about in that December piece, the first draft of The Batman was pretty low on spectacle. Some of you took this to mean that it’ll have “no action,” but it’s important to note that I never said that. What I did say was that the script’s primary focus is on telling a psychologically complex detective story that takes its cues from David Fincher films like Se7en and Zodiac.

And now the second draft has come in and, from the sound of it, Reeves has amped up the spectacle a bit. I don’t know what motivated him to bring a little more explosiveness to the proceedings- maybe the studio has loosened the reins on his budget a bit thanks to Aquaman?- but I hear the action quotient for the film will lie somewhere between Se7en and The Dark Knight.

So, Batman. Tell us about your take.

It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been. I'd love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it's going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation.

Have you begun the casting process?

There will be a Rogues Gallery. The casting process will begin shortly. We're starting to put together our battle plan. I'm doing another pass on the script and we'll begin some long-lead stuff to start developing conceptual things.

What's your goal as far as a release date?

We haven't been dated. I wouldn't commit to this, but we're thinking the movie would probably be for 2021, late spring or summer. Warner Bros. has been incredibly supportive and given me a lot of time and shared the same passion that I do for this story.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. is dating their next rendition of Batman for June 25, 2021. This is the one that Matt Reeves has been attached to as writer and director. Ben Affleck, we hear, will not be donning the Dark Knight’s tights after playing the Caped Crusader in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League and that’s because this movie will focus on a younger Bruce Wayne.