Ben Affleck Batman vs. Superman (aka Man of Steel 2). So, if you’re one of the people out there complaining about the casting, maybe find better ways to occupy your time. How the casting came to be and how it was kept secret while names such as Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Matthew Goode, Joe Manganiello, Richard Armitage and Max Martini led the list of rumored names shortlisted for the role is a more interesting path to go down.
In an article at The Hollywood Reporter they mention Snyder approached Affleck months ago and Affleck wasn’t going to even consider the character unless he had some say in how the character was written. The talks were so secretive, notes THR’s Borys Kit, that many Warners execs and most of the agents at Affleck’s agency, WME, remained unaware of their existence.
One thing I noted in the press release was the wording where it says “Affleck and filmmaker Zack Snyder will create an entirely new incarnation of the character”. I guess I could have called it out a little more specifically in my write-up rather than merely mentioning it, but this, to me, mean Affleck would take something of an active role in the way Bruce Wayne/Batman is characterized. Let’s not forget Affleck is an Oscar-winning screenwriter (Good Will Hunting) and also wrote the screenplays for The Town and Gone Baby Gone.
So while the story is conceived by Snyder, with influence from Frank Miller‘s graphic novel “[amazon asin=”1563893428″ text=”The Dark Knight Returns”]”, David S. Goyer will pen the script, but I can’t help but get the feeling Affleck’s involvement will be similar to that of Robert Downey Jr.‘s on Iron Man where things were even changed on set.
Affleck, having directed himself twice, once in Best Picture winner Argo, clearly knows himself better than anyone else as an actor so while fans forget about everything Affleck has done since 2007 and prefer to focus on his Daredevil and Gigli days, the guy has grown into one of the better American filmmakers out there right now and I’m surprised the response from doubters isn’t something more along the lines of “I’m not so sure about this, but considering I haven’t seen anything yet I’ll just wait and see…” Of course, that involves thoughtful reasoning so it’s no surprise the Internet masses went crazy to where not even support from Joss Whedon (The Avengers: Age of Ultron) could quiet down the masses.
https://twitter.com/josswhedon/statuses/371100842289397760
However, as I said, Affleck is your new Batman and he’s signed for multiple films, which is leading many to speculate it may grow into a situation where he steps in and directs a future Justice League movie, something he was rumored to be involved in back in August 2012.
Either way, I can’t imagine Affleck isn’t signed for at least four films, the first being Batman vs. Superman and the three others being a new Batman trilogy and I’m assuming options are built in as well should Warner Bros. finally figure out how to handle their DC Comics Universe a la Marvel’s success with The Avengers, which Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige already insists he has plans for through 2021.
As for what Affleck had in the hopper before taking the Batman gig, he will shoot David Fincher‘s Gone Girl, followed by Batman vs. Superman (7/17/15) and then he’ll move to the adaptation of Dennis Lehane‘s Live by Night, which was originally going to follow Gone Girl for a 2014 release, but will now simply move to 2015. He’ll also be seen in Runner Runner this October.
