Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer. George Clooney. Christian Bale. And…
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a new Batman…Ben Affleck.
Please keep in mind, this is an immediate gut reaction. After carefully reflecting for 30 minutes while staring at my Dark Knight trilogy DVDs, I’ve come to the conclusion on Ben Affleck’s casting, and that conclusion is…I’m fine with it.
Is there a better actor out there? Probably. But at the end of the day, Affleck will honor the character well. First of all, let’s keep a few things in mind. His first appearance will be in a Man Of Steel sequel, so it’s not just him. They want to go with a more experienced veteran Batman, and I can see Affleck in the same world with Henry Cavill’s Superman. It just fits.
Look, Ben Affleck has been in some absolutely horrendous movies, and was equally as horrible in them, including another superhero movie in 2003 – Daredevil. He’s also a guy who has shown moments of acting brilliance. Go watch Boiler Room. His first monologue in that film is Oscar worthy. In watching him in last year’s Argo, I thought his acting chops were also stellar. While I think Affleck is a stronger director, given the right material, he can deliver a great performance. I’m not worried whatsoever about his Bruce Wayne, but I will admit, it’s hard right now to see him behind the mask…but I think he can do it.
Another huge positive for me is that Affleck simply choosing to do this movie is a great sign. When director Zack Snyder announced this project at last month’s comic-con, I was scared. It felt like the Man Of Steel sequel was being hijacked, and that Batman’s inclusion was a total studio move. But here’s the deal – Ben Affleck has the power in Hollywood right now to do whatever project he wants. The man just won an Oscar for crying out loud. The fact that he’s choosing to be Batman in place of directing or starring in other projects tells me he’s very excited about this film. The guy knows a good script, or story if the script isn’t fully written yet. He doesn’t have to do this role. He wants to do it.
It’s amazing to think where Ben Affleck was a few years ago. Now in the span of 12 months, he’s got another Oscar, and is playing one of the most popular characters in all of pop culture. Bottom-line – Ben Affleck knows what failure is like in Hollywood. He knows what it’s like to be the butt of every joke. He knows what it’s like to be blasted by fanboys who I’m sure are going to criticize this move. Affleck is fully aware of the pressure and microscope this performance is going to be under, and that’s why I think he’ll put his heart and soul into this performance.
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