Photo Credit: Warner Brothers Pictures

The Batman already went through an overhaul in the directors chair, and allegedly had at least one rewrite in the script. Now as Matt Reeves prepares to succeed Ben Affleck as director, /FILM alleges that he will start with a brand new script from scratch.

When Reeves first took over, Variety alleged that Chris Terrio's rewrite of Affleck and Geoff Johns' original script "pleased both the studio and Affleck." But now according to /FILM's Jacob Hall, the whole script "is being rewritten from the ground up" although his sources didn't say if Terrio or someone new would write the latest draft.

Whomever has the job, he or she will likely have most of 2017 to get it right. According to Variety's Justin Kroll, Reeves' responsibilities for this summer's War for the Planet of the Apes will keep him from doing any Batman work until the end of June. As such, full production isn't expected to start until 2018, although those plans can always change.

Before all the behind-the-scenes overhauls, co-star Joe Manganiello had stated months ago that he thought work would begin later this year. At this point, everything is in flux depending on the latest rewrites, including the size and scope of Manganiello's evil Deathstroke.

Yet this does mean when Reeves is ready, he will take over a film with a completely fresh start, instead of just working from the scraps of what was left behind before he got the job. Whether this means he will really get to tailor The Batman to his own vision is an even longer ways off from being clear now. But even if the new script is finished quickly, Reeves won't get to meet or approve of potential new cast members until at least July, according to Kroll.

If Reeves and the writers actually work out a new vision for The Batman by the end of this year, they will get to launch it after audiences see Batman launch the Justice League on Nov. 17. By then, it may or may not be clear when Batman will make his next big screen appearance on his own.