Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara has confirmed the studio is moving forward with a standalone Batman film with Ben Affleck. Affleck will not only star in the film, reprising his role of the Caped Crusader (in which he debuted in the currently in theaters Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), but also direct. Tsujihara confirmed Warner Bros.’ intentions to move forward with the idea while presenting the studio’s upcoming slate at CinemaCon, the annual convention between distributors and exhibitors held in Las Vegas.

“It set up a great foundation for our DC slate, which includes at least 10 movies through 2020,” remarked Tsuijhara. “I’m also excited to know that we will be working with Ben Affleck on a stand-alone Batman movie.” This is a long-gestating rumor that has been running strong for quite a while now – at least ever since Comic-Con last summer. The untitled Batman project will Affleck’s fifth feature as a director – he made his debut with the well-regarded 2007 crime drama Gone Baby Gone and has quickly been raising his game the 2010 hit The Town and the 2012 Oscar-winning drama Argo. Affleck recently finished production on the period thriller Live By Night, another Warner Bros. title in which the Oscar-winner stars in. There remains rumors that Affleck will also write the screenplay (the actor did earn an Oscar for co-writing Good Will Hunting alongside buddy Matt Damon), but that hasn’t been confirmed as of yet.

This decision to move forward also re-affirms Warner Bros.’ intentions in quickly moving forward with an extended DC Comics film universe despite criticism over Batman v Superman. It seems likely (though nothing is definitive) that an Affleck-helmed Batman may receive one of two release dates earmarked by the studio for unconfirmed titles: October 5, 2018, or November 1, 2019. Affleck will next be seen as the Dark Knight in this summer’s eagerly anticipated Suicide Squad. We will stay tuned to this developing story as more information is known. In the meantime, here’s the latest information regarding Warner Bros.’ upcoming DC Comics slate:

• Suicide Squad (Aug. 5, 2016)
• The Justice League Part One (Nov. 17, 2017)
• The Flash (March 16, 2018)
• Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)
• Aquaman (July 27, 2018)
• Shazam!(April 5, 2019)
• Justice League Part Two (June 14, 2019)
• Cyborg (April 3, 2020)
• Green Lantern Corps(June 19, 2020)