In this June 19, 2017 file photo, director Matt Reeves appears at the screening of the film "War for the Planet of the Apes" in London. Reeves, who directed “Cloverfield” and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” will helm the Batman film. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) --
Who will be inside the suit remains unknown but "The Batman" has a release date.
Warner Bros. on Wednesday announced that Matt Reeves' stand-alone Batman film will hit theaters in June 2021. Ben Affleck was previously set to star in the film following his performances in "Justice League" and "Batman v. Superman," but a new Caped Crusader is to be cast.
Affleck, who was at one point also to direct "The Batman," tweeted that he's excited to see Reeves' vision of the film "come to life."
Warner Bros. also dated the next "Suicide Squad" film, to be written by James Gunn, for 2021. The studio set an adaption of Stephen King's "The Shining" sequel, "Doctor Sleep," for November this year, and Robert Zemeckis' "The Witches" for October 2020.
Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.
The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.
The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.
DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.
"While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.
The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.
The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.
DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More
