'Batman' rumors: Jake Gyllenhaal to replace Affleck as the Dark Knight?

Ben Affleck as BatmanWarner Bros. Pictures

Apparently, some fans think Jake Gyllenhaal is the hero Gotham deserves, more so than Ben Affleck, as rumors surface that the actor might be slated to replace Affleck as the current Batman in the DC movie franchise.

An anonymous source close to the upcoming "Batman" solo movie from a fan website called Revenge of the Fans has claimed that Gyllenhaal is a strong replacement choice for Affleck should the latter leave the film behind. Still, this could be quite a stretch since Affleck still has a contract with Warner Bros., the studio responsible for DC movies, and a lot of legal issues could arise for the actor should he decide to hang the cape.

"Gyllenhaal is probably Batman. Affleck is not out of it yet. That's the thing, he still has a contract. But the studio is sour on him. If Ben rolls, Jake is in," according to the source. The informant did not specify where the information came from though, nor did he or she confirm whether the news is fact or rumor. For all fans know, he or she could just be a Gyllenhaal fan rooting for his version of Batman.

Still, Affleck's relationship with the executives of Warner Bros. may not precisely be warm, as it can be remembered that back in Nov. 2017, the 45-year-old Oscar Awardee mentioned that he was looking for a graceful exit from the Batman role. Affleck claimed, "You don't do it forever, so I want to find a graceful and cool way to segue out of it." This was quite surprising since he has only played Batman twice, and both were not even solo movies about the character.

Right now, the solo "Batman" movie is just at its infancy stage, with director Matt Reeves stating that he only has the story worked out at the moment and is just outlining it for now. This could mean that "Batman" does not yet have a script, screenplay, or perhaps even an actor. Fans will have to wait and see to find out what is going on with the planned "Batman" movie.