Ben Affleck: "I'm Batman!"

Ben Affleck: “I’m Batman!”

August 23, 2013 3 Comments

I don’t think ever seen a casting-choice for a Hollywood movie make waves like this before.

Not.

Ever.

#1 – I like Ben Affleck, but…

Ben Affleck, fresh with a Best-Picture Oscar for his movie Argo, is going to step into the shoes of Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney and Christian Bale to play the most famous gritty Superhero on the big screen in the Superman-vs.-Batman sequel to Man of Steel.

Sooo…. interesting choice, right?

I must admit, I’ve grown rather more fond of Ben Affleck in recent years. Part of that, however, seems to be result of Ben Affleck moving away from action- and comic-movies, instead playing and directing things like … well… Argo, State Of Play, etc.. , which seem to be a better fit for him.

Not anymore. Almost exactly 10 years after his superhero debut in Daredevil, he’s under contract to play Bruce Wayne/Batman.

And the worst thing about it is we’ll have to wait another 2 years or so to see if Ben Affleck will surprise all the naysayers or make the hash of it that most people seem to say he will.

#2 – Heath Ledger, etc…

I also saw a lot of comments pointing back to the almost equally controversial casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker for the Dark Knight.

It’s not a totally invalid point. Actors can and do surprise the audience on occasion, doing far better outside the stereotype they’ve become associated with.

On the other hand, Ben Affleck isn’t really a young, up-and-coming actor like Heath Ledger was. An actor possibly type-caste into certain role, but waiting for his chance to show his skill. We’ve seen Ben Affleck in every role imaginable in the past two decades or so (including a superhero).

Thus, it seems that much harder to believe that Ben Affleck will pull a surprise performance like that. To me at least…

#3 – Who Would You Have Cast?

That said, assuming it is your decision and Christian Bale is out, who would you have cast?

The more I try thinking about what is “odd” with Ben Affleck donning the bat-costume, the more I likewise fail to come up with a name that would be a “perfect fit” for Batman in a Man of Steel sequel (and yes, that also means you can’t pick Michael Shannon! Lol). More importantly, I cannot come up with a name that would be up for the internet-shitstorm of being the “next Batman”.

Ben Affleck certainly showed that he is more than capable of weathering a decade of ridicule and bad press, only to come back with a success. Maybe that is, after all, why Ben Affleck is, after all, a good choice for such a prominent role…. because he can take it.

Anyhow. Help me out here. Who would’ve been your Batman? And Why?

Bespeckledjim

I saw Josh Brolin as a possible older ‘Dark Knight Returns’ era Batman…
Intvlan1shut

Off the top of my head….
Michael Fassbender
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1055413/

Otherwise I’d have to think about it for a bit.

I remember reading the Dark Knight Graphic Novel as a kid back in the 80s and if you’ve read it…. then you’ll understand my horror at the news that Michael Keaton was going to be Batman! As it turned out, Keaton was really the best part about the movie so I suppose Afflek could surprise us. I prefer the darker “Nolan/Bale” impression of Batman, Gotham and society etc. I can’t see Afflek working in that style of a Batman movie.

It occurs to me that Afflek might however make a good Robin though he’s too old for that now…. but 10-15 years ago he might have been a good Robin.
belverker

Josh Brolin was my hope, and the thing about Ben Affleck and it is something you almost touched on, he is good but only when directed by…ben affleck…if you notice when you started liking him you’ll see the pattern.
Tpo be fair though the last 2 batman movies were pretty poor and way too overblown, the latest superman movie was terrible, so i had no real expectations of this one.