10 Directors Who Should Helm The Batman (If Affleck Quits)

9. Kevin Smith

Kevin Smith poses for a portrait to promote the film,
Victoria Will/AP

Known For: Tusk, Clerks, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back.

One big problem with the DCEU to date is that it feels like each movie is being made without love, or passion. It feels like everybody is just going through the motions - post-credits scene, check, cameos from other heroes, check, sky portals, check, endless army of faceless minions, check - as though bound to an established formula, unable to break free from its restraints.

That's why a touch of heart is needed, and if there's one man who could surely provide that, it's Kevin Smith.

Self-confessed superfan and widely-acknowledged as one of the biggest nerds on the planet, Smith would be able to use his understanding of the source material coupled with his love and energy when it comes to all things pop-culture to deliver a Batman movie that the fans will almost certainly enjoy, something the DCEU hasn't been able to fully accomplish thus far.

Admittedly, Smith hasn't directed anything good in years (save for a few episodes of The Flash TV show), and his downfall is usually his own overly self-indulgent writing. But with a script from Ben Affleck, who's won an Oscar for his writing, the project will not have to worry about that in the slightest.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for over ten years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. In 2022, he took charge of WhoCulture and has grown it into the biggest Doctor Who channel on YouTube, and one of the biggest Doctor Who communities on the web full-stop. He has been writing and video editing since his early teens, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers, off the back of a burning obsession with the Matt Smith era of the show. Like many his age, he first got into Doctor Who with the 2005 revival, but has since gone back and fallen in love with the classic years too. If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order, or to give you a random factoid about the making of Gridlock, Danny is the person to ask!