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

2. James Mangold

The Wolverine - UK Premiere - Red Carpet Arrivals
2013 Getty Images

Known For: Logan (upcoming), The Wolverine, 3:10 To Yuma (2007).

Mangold is no stranger to the single-superhero scene having directed 2013's The Wolverine and the upcoming Logan, so he'd be in somewhat familiar territory were he chosen to steer Batman's solo outing.

The tone of Logan doesn't look to be a million miles away from the ideal tone the solo Batman movie should have, either; unwaveringly focused on its titular hero, dark, and carrying a real-world grit that's gained through the use of practical effects and tangible locations, not excessive CGI.

And this is absolutely something we need to see from The Batman, which stars the most grounded superhero in DC's roster. Batman is just a human, with no superpowers to speak of, and ideally, the tone of the film should mirror the character's realistic nature, so the two go hand-in-hand.

Of course, if Logan is terrible, Mangold's chances will inherently be dented, but he's a proven talent regardless, having helmed quality westerns, dramas and the aforementioned The Wolverine.

This genre-hopping ability he has shows that a talented storyteller is a talented storyteller no matter what material you hand them, and this, coupled with his pre-existing superhero experience, will surely put him under consideration.

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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!