When is The Batman happening? That seems to have been the question on a lot of people’s minds over the past year or so, since the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice introduced Ben Affleck’s interesting take on the Dark Knight. Affleck is poised to direct the standalone Batman movie, which he’s co-writing with Geoff Johns, but the Argo filmmaker has been rather non-committal when it comes to a timetable, and for good reason. Affleck has the clout to put his foot down and not start racing towards a release date, even if Warner Bros. no doubt wishes The Batman was coming sooner rather than later.

But yesterday rumors surfaced that the filming dates for The Batman have been pushed back, this coming on the heels of Affleck wavering a bit on his directorial commitment by saying he won’t make the film unless the script is worthwhile. Last night, however, Affleck went on Jimmy Kimmel Live to reaffirm his commitment to directing The Batman while also kindly asking fans to chill the f out.

“I’m gonna direct the next Batman, we’re workin’ on it. It’s one of those things that’s really frustrating because like 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 nobody gave a shit. No one was like ‘Where’s Live by Night?!’ But with Batman I keep getting the like, ‘Where’s the fucking Batman?!’ and I’m like ‘Bro I’m workin’, give me a second!”

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Image via Warner Bros.

I’ll go ahead and say I was admittedly impatient with regards to when Live by Night might happen, but Affleck’s frustration is understandable as this is unlike any directorial project he’s tackled before. Batman comes with an intense fanbase and immense interest, and we live in a world in which superhero movies have teasers for the next superhero sequel/follow-up at the end of the movie—it's not enough to have one worthwhile experience, audiences are now almost more interested in what's next rather than what's now.

Warner Bros. has yet to announce a firm release date for The Batman, and about all we know is that Joe Manganiello is playing the movie’s villain, Deathstroke. Affleck’s Live by Night, while highly anticipated, isn’t quite reaching the critical heights of his previous directorial efforts, so perhaps he’s feeling some added pressure on The Batman. Whatever the case, I think Affleck’s earned the right to take his time, so I look forward to watching The Batman whenever Affleck’s ready to make it.

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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.
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Image via Warner Bros.