It’s official, the Bat-fleck is putting down his mask. Ben Affleck announced on Jan. 31 that he was no longer going to portray Batman in the current series of DC Extended Universe films.

He portrayed The Caped Crusader in “Batman vs. Superman” and “Justice League,” neither of which were box office hits. 

The first film had one of the largest box office drops in its second weekend, facing a decline of 81 percent according to slashfilm.com.

Justice League was a box office bomb, only grossing $650 million after they had spent $750 million on it. 

Affleck was the sixth actor to play Batman in full-length live-action films.

At the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, Affleck described himself as the luckiest guy in the world and said, “Batman is the coolest fucking part in any universe.” 

Affleck’s portrayal fell flat among San Jose State students though.

“His acting as Batman was alright, it didn’t feel like Bruce Wayne-Batman,” said Ryan Tran, an open university student.

“I just wasn’t a fan of his acting,” said humanities junior Natalie Ortega. “When I think of Batman, I don’t think of Ben Affleck.”

Both Tran and Ortega said that their favorite Batman portrayal was Christian Bale in the Dark Knight Trilogy. 

Ortega said that her preference was mostly because those were the films she watched growing up.

The next Batman movie, “The Batman”, is planned for 2021, and the search for its titular character is just beginning. 

Variety’s Justin Kroll said that the studio was looking for a “familiar face”, and director Matt Reeves had a specific age he was looking for.

“The Batman” is expected to be a noir film that focuses on his detective abilities, according to Reeves. 

Reeves is known for directing the two most recent “Planet of the Apes” movies and the TV show “Felicity.”

Choosing a new Batman can be controversial, just like picking a new James Bond. 

After Michael Keaton was selected back in 1988, fans organized a massive letter-writing campaign to Warner Bros. Studios, complaining about the pick.

But Keaton’s portrayal and the film itself was a success, and led to three more sequels, though Keaton would only reprise his role in one of them. It also spawned the critically acclaimed “Batman: The Animated Series” television show.

Often Keaton’s Batman was overshadowed by Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker. 

For many, this repeated itself in “The Dark Knight,” where Heath Ledger’s Joker stole the show and won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.

Tran especially liked Ledger’s performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight. He said, “His acting was phenomenal, one of the best in the Batman universe.”

It’s uncertain whether Joker will even be in Reeve’s film. When Affleck was still involved with the film, Deathstroke was the planned villain.

DC teased Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke at the end of Justice League, showing off his unique helmet and sword. 

There’s been no word yet on whether Manganiello will continue to play a part now that Reeve is in the director’s seat.

Affleck was originally slated to direct the new film, but announced he was stepping down back in January 2017.

Tran would not mind having Bale come back, saying that Bale would be his first choice to play Batman if he could choose. 

Ultimately though, Tran said he preferred animated films, saying that there were more possibilities with what could be told.

“The Batman” is expected to start shooting in spring 2019.