Only a week after it was reported that Matt Reeves (Clovefield) was in consideration, it seems The Batman is yet again without a director. According to reports, negotiations broke down between Warner Bros. and Reeves in the last few days for unspecified reasons. Although there is a chance that negotiations may resume if no other candidate is found, currently Reeves has stepped away.

Some of the pressure behind the decision may be that Reeves is currently in post-production for War for Planet of the Apes. There is also the possibility that Reeves felt creatively stifled by the script which has already been written by Affleck and Geoff Johns. Reeves is currently in development as writer/director for two feature films: thriller The Invisible Woman with J.J. Abrams, and sci-fi film Eight O’Clock in the Morning.

Prior to Reeve’s name being considered, after Ben Affleck let go of his directorial role in the film, Ridley Scott and Fede Alvarez were also approached.

Ben Affleck, J.K. Simmons, Jeremy Irons, and Joe Manganiello are set to star in the action film.