The damn trolls won again. It’s official: Ben Affleck won’t be directing The Batman. Look, it’s not all doom and gloom here, since Ben will still don the cape and cowl, write the script, and produce the film. All these roles carry significant weight and will be incredibly difficult to juggle, but he won’t be overseeing the actual shoot of the film. Someone else will do it and this’ll inevitably shape how the final film will pan out. So, who should direct The Batman now? Forget all the names mentioned so far; it should be Christopher Nolan.

Studio pressure

Remember how you could see two or three different films in Suicide Squad? Yeah, that’s what you don’t want in The Batman. A strong director, with a proven track record, will need to be allowed to make the film he/she wants, and tell the studio to eff off when it comes with its sticky, little editing scissors.

Nolan’s got a tremendous reputation and has yet to deliver a bad film in his career. His Batman films are not only great comic book movies, but critically lauded movies altogether. He’s in pole position to dictate his own terms and create the movie he desires. Warner Bros. seems to respect him immensely and that’s a huge positive.

The DCEU’s plans

Not a lot of people may realise this, but Nolan has executive producer credits on Man of Steel and Batman v Superman. How much input he had on these films is debatable, but he’s surely privy to the DCEU’s overall plans and where it’s heading.

After some of the missteps in the universe so far, i.e. Juggalo Joker and Batman killing criminals, an auteur like Nolan could fix many of these issues. Get him involved in the scripts—along with his brother, Jonathan—and let him course correct where necessary. He’s shown his familiarity with the source material, and the ability to borrow from it while also building on it to create something even better.

Nolan’s schedule

Dunkirk will be out later this year and there’s been no other news of Nolan’s next project. He seems to be the sort of director who enjoys a challenge, and this is definitely a big one. The Batman will keep him busy for a few years and keep him from getting idle hands (or going over to Marvel).

The hype machine

With everyone putting the final nail in the DCEU’s coffin, it really requires a fresh injection of renewed optimism and changed perception. The expectations for The Batman were through the roof, and Affleck’s stepping down as director only gave the doubters more ammunition.

Imagine what would happen if it was announced that Nolan would helm The Batman? The Internet would break and Marvel would have serious concerns about its place at the top of the CBM chain. It would be a smash-hit before anyone even sat down in the chair to watch it.

In truth, the chances of Nolan taking over the director chair for this film are pretty slim. He’s unlikely to want to do another Batman film again, but what if he does? Has anyone asked him? We think it might be a good idea for Geoff Johns to give him a ring.

What do you think? Should Christopher Nolan return to direct The Batman? Tell us in the comments section.