Armie Hammer has reportedly refuted suggestions that he is due to play Batman, after rumours circulated that he would be taking over from Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the Caped Crusader.
A report from movies blog Revenge of the Fans earlier claimed the Call Me By Your Name star has held lengthy discussions with Matt Reeves about taking on the role for the 2021 movie. He was previously lined up to play Bruce Wayne and his vigilante alter-ego in George Miller’s Justice League: Mortal, before the project ultimately collapsed back in 2007.
However, Hammer has now spoken to Yahoo Movies to refute the suggestion. He said: “No one who can actually give me the job has asked me if I’m interested…I don’t even know if they are done – they are still working on a script.”
He added: “I don’t think that they are close to production but I can conclusively tell you that no one has checked my availability, which is a bummer.”
It comes after Affleck finally discussed his departure from the role in an honest interview with Jimmy Kimmel last week.
Discussing the challenges that came with unsuccessfully creating his own Batman movie, Affleck said: “I tried to direct a version of it and worked with a really good screenwriter, but just couldn’t come up with a version – I couldn’t crack it.
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“And so it was time to let someone take a shot at it. They’ve got some really good people.”
Although specific plot details for Reeves’ iteration are yet to emerge, the director says that it is influenced by film noir.
“It’s very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale,” he explained.
“It’s told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it’s going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It’s more Batman in his detective mode than we’ve seen in the films.
“The comics have a history of that. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective, and that’s not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been.”
It was also previously rumoured that Robert Pattinson could be in contention for the iconic role.
The Batman is set for release in 2021.