'The Batman' release date, news: Ben Affleck says he's still directing the film

When Ben Affleck said he wasn't going to do "The Batman" if the script wasn't good enough, people started talking about how he might back out of the project. Well, he did say he wasn't going to direct a mediocre film, and nobody could fault him for saying that. After all, he knows fully well how damaging a subpar film could be to someone's career. Remember "Daredevil" and "Gigli"? Affleck probably wants to forget about them.

After he made those statements, reports also started saying the film was being pushed back a couple of months. Now, it may look like the project is in a lot of trouble, but Affleck is here to calm the fears. The actor/director recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live (transcribed by /Film) and he revealed that he's still working on it, and he's going to direct it.

"I'm gonna direct the next Batman, we're working on it. It's one of those things that's really frustrating because with Live By Night, it took me a year and a half to write it and get it ready and I worked really hard. It's just no one gave a s**t. No one was like, "WHERE'S 'LIVE BY NIGHT?" But with Batman I keep getting the, "WHERE'S THE F**KING BATMAN?" I'm like, "Whoa, I'm working! Give me a second!"

Well, Affleck can definitely use colorful language like a seasoned sailor, but it's good to hear him saying that he's still planning to helm the project after everything he has mentioned before. It seems that he was busy working on "Live by Night," but he should have more free time now that the film has hit the theaters.

Aside from Affleck, "The Batman" will also star Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke, and Jeremy Irons as Alfred. J.K. Simmons is also expected to appear as Commissioner Gordon. Sources say the film may come out in 2019.