'Batman' movie 2016 cast, release date: Several iconic villains to appear

Ben Affleck as BatmanWarner Bros. Pictures

The upcoming "Batman" movie starring Ben Affleck is already getting fast-tracked into development given how popular the character was in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." According to a report from Birth Movies Death, this new movie will feature not just one but several of the hero's iconic villains. 

As stated in a previous report, Affleck and DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns have been given complete control over the movie and one of their primary decisions is to make Gotham feel like a real place, thriving with villains and mobs. 

The report states that the goal is to make this the definitive Batman movie and a part of this is to present the villains that the caped crusader has battled over the expanse of his career. "Suicide Squad" already features many of Batman's villains such as the Joker (Jared Leto), Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and it is likely all of them will appear at least in a quick cameo for the solo "Batman" movie.

It is speculated that Batman may encounter many of these villains while visiting Arkham Asylum or that they may be featured in an opening sequence where he has to take them down and bring them to the police. 

However, the report does not yet confirm who the main villain is. Rumors are spreading around that the movie will adapt the "Under the Red Hood" storyline, which will see Jason Todd aka the Red Hood, a former Robin, come into Gotham to kill the city's mobsters and attempt to exact revenge on both the Joker and Batman. 

According to a report from Collider, it is also possible that the movie will see some of the villains unite in order to take down the Batman, akin to how the 1966 "Batman: The Movie" had the villains come together. This will also be reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" where Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) was working with Ra's al Ghul (Liam Neeson).