Comic-book fans: prepare to cheer, boo - or tell us you already knew - Ben Affleck is expected to be officially named as the director of a standalone Batman movie in which he'll also star as the caped crusader.

Ben Affleck at the world premiere of Gone GirlIs Ben Affleck going behind the camera for a forthcoming Batman film?

Deadline reports that Affleck is teaming up with DC Comics' chief creative officer Geoff Johns to write the movie, and the script could even be ready by the end of this summer. With Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice reaching cinemas in March next year, and the director's Justice League Part One pencilled in for November 2017, it's not yet clear when this new Affleck-helmed Batman title will slot in.

No stranger to directing, Affleck won critical acclaim for The Town in 2010, and then for Argo in 2012, which was named Best Picture at the Oscars the following year.

More: How did Ben Affleck react when he was cast as Batman?

So the Batman star could potentially be the ideal person to take the character in a new direction, no doubt drawing on his experiences on set with Snyder and Dawn of Justice co-star Henry Cavill.

Ben Affleck as BatmanBen Affleck looking tough (and fed up?) in Dawn of Justice

At the time of writing, Warner Bros has not confirmed Affleck's involvement in a standalone Batman film, but with the actor-director appearing at San Diego's Comic-Con on Saturday to promote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to thousands of fans, maybe now is the right time to get the world excited (and handily steal some of the limelight from the ubiquitous Marvel).

More: Zack Snyder shares real Dawn of Justice trailer after pirated version leaks online

Affleck recently likened the Batman character to Shakespeare's Hamlet, in the sense that it's possible to interpret the comic-book hero in many different ways.

"Batman is basically the American version of Hamlet," he said. "We accept that he's played by actors with different interpretations."

Watch the teaser for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice here: