Things continue to be not so good on the DC Extended Universe front. While 2016 seemed like the year the films would finally take shape (several years after the world famous Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off), it ended up as the year where its best laid plans seemed to fall apart.

Batman v Superman didn’t perform nearly as well as the studio had hoped, and the criticism it received prompted them to have the next film on their slate, Suicide Squad, undergo a series of edits. While a lot of fans enjoyed the cut that came to theaters — as evidenced by the box office receipts — it was even less well received than Batman v Superman, and seemed like an unhealthy and unnecessary overreaction to audience’s complaints.

Things didn’t get much better. While their next films, Wonder Woman and Justice League seemed to hit the ground with little problem, The Flash and The Batman would face constant setbacks. The Flash lost two directors that year, and recently, it was rumored that it would need a page one rewrite.

Director Ben Affleck spent the year waffling over his commitment as director of The Batman, and after several months of him saying there was no official Batman film yet, he finally dropped out as the film’s helmer.

While Affleck stayed on as producer and actor, it was unclear if his script — which he co-wrote with Geoff Johns — would stay as the basis of the movie. All we knew is that Affleck and Johns’ script had also passed through the hands of Argo and Batman v Superman screenwriter Chris Terrio. But if they were planning on getting another director, would this require a new script?

Now, a new report from Forbes writer Mark Hughes seems to suggest just that. Here’s what he had to say about this ever-developing story. 

“…sources confirm the script originally penned by Affleck and Geoff Johns was rewritten by scribe Chris Terrio (whose Argo screenplay won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, and who did a page-one rewrite on Batman v Superman), the project will undergo substantial changes and possible/probably another full rewrite. Warner Bros. is already speaking to several filmmakers about taking over in the director’s chair — including one of my personal longtime favorites to direct a Batman movie, Matt Reeves, who seems to be the frontrunner — and word is the project will essentially get a fresh start once a new creative team has been put together.”

So not only are they looking for a new director, but it seems more than likely that once they get one, the studio will need to either throw the script into another rewrite, or maybe even need a page one rewrite, á la The Flash.

In addition to all this, the report went on to speculate that a 2019 release date was most likely for the long-gestating picture.

As dark and dour as this all sounds, we can’t forget that it’s better that this sort of shakeup happens in these early stages. The last thing we want is another Suicide Squad incident where Warner Bros is frantically trying to form the flick into something it’s not. It may be a bit disappointing to have to wait a couple more years, but let’s hope that when all said and done, the film will have been worth the wait.

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SOURCE: Forbes