Justice League 2 delayed in favor of Ben Affleck’s Batman movie

Wonder Woman and Justice League are still scheduled to hit theaters next year, with Aquaman coming in 2018 and Justice League 2 the year after that. Or so we thoughts. Today, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Bros. is pushing back the release date of Justice League 2 to make room for Ben Affleck’s standalone Batman movie.

Affleck’s performance garnered unanimous praise in an otherwise forgettable Batman v. Superman and made a minor cameo in Suicide Squad. Rumors have been flying around about a standalone Batman movie helmed by Affleck himself ever since and it seems Warner Bros. wants to see the project come together just as much as we do. Affleck is directing, writing and starring in the project, although a release date has not been announced.

Justice League hits theaters next November, with a planned sequel originally planned for 2019. But it sounds like that date could be in jeopardy. For what it’s worth, Zack Snyder is expected to direct the Justice League sequel.

A slight delay to Justice League 2 is a good thing

Justice League is going to make a ton of money, that’s a forgone conclusion, but what is not a guarantee is if it’ll be any good. Warner Bros. has to really curate future DCEU movies if it wants to get remotely close to what Marvel has built with its universe. More subpar movies and fans will eventually get alienated from the DCEU.

Building up demand for the second part of Justice League while giving fans a new Batman movie that explores some of the cool ideas Ben Affleck introduced to the character is a great way to reward fans for their faith in DC characters. Now the movie just has to be good.