Ben Affleck has been cast as Bruce Wayne Batman in the as of yet untitled sequel to Man of Steel. Those who are frequent readers of my blog (Are there any out there?) know that I HATED Man of Steel, mostly because I hate Zack Snyder as a director. I think that the characters in his films are often two dimensional (especially female characters that are often a masturbatory fantasy), His story structure lacks fluidity to the point that it can become incomprehensible, he writes wooden dialogue, and his action scenes are so quick, flashy and jumbled they nearly induce a seizure. He is a music video director that shouldn't have left his roots.
On the other hand, I really like Ben Affleck as a director. With directing credits like Gone Baby Gone and The Town, he shook off the dead weight of "Bennifer" (the media dubbed highly publicized romance/near marriage to Jennifer Lopez) and previous acting flops like Gili and Boiler Room. With Argo and to a lesser extent Good Will Hunting, he made a name for himself as a competent writer/director with a style that is an eclectic mix of Billy Wilder, Sidney Lumet, Sidney Pollack, and Martin Scorsese. Gaining the accolades of his peers by winning the coveted Best Picture Oscar (for the previously mentioned Argo) Affleck is on his way to being a major force in Hollywood.
I am so positive about Ben Affleck as a director that I was more than excited when rumors surfaced that he may direct a Justice League film (when there was still talks of one) and although nothing can touch Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy, I believe that Affleck can capture the gritty realism that is necessary to make Gotham City a real character in the inevitable Batman reboot (much like writer Scott Snyder has done in the comics). As long as he stays behind the camera.
When the casting news of Batman broke recently, I did not believe it. I was in shock. Instantly, my mind went to all of the most awful roles Ben Affleck had ever played...and I thought it was brilliant. Why? Because I want The Man of Steel sequel to fail. However, in a rare moment of optimism, I started to wonder if they hired Affleck, not so much because he would be a good Batman (more on that below), but because he is a more accomplished (and far better) director than Zack Snyder. With Affleck on board so early, perhaps he will advise the film through the pre-production stage as well as through production. If he does, that will undoubtedly make the film better, or at least make it suck less.
The four main reasons Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman is a problem:
1) He will be the first Batman to follow Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Dark Knight
Trilogy. With such a beloved set of films completed a scant year ago, the news of Ben Affleck's
casting falls flat. There will be inevitable comparisons, and those comparisons will be harsh.
2) Affleck's Batman will be more fantastical. Living in the same world as the Man of Steel
Superman, this Bruce Wayne will have to be more like the comics... that means closer to "Bat
Shark Repellant" and nippled Batsuits than the Dark Knight detective. Not that these next set of
films can't be more fantastical and still have a sense of realism, but with Snyder's creative
team,we are more likely to get the former rather than the latter.
3) The Character. In all of Affleck's roles I have seen him in, nothing shows me that he can
achieved the psychosis and gritty, brooding intensity of Bruce Wayne/ Batman. My critics
might say that the same thing was said about Heath Ledger being the Joker in The Dark Knight,
to which I say it is not the same. When I heard that Ledger was going to be the Joker, I
looked at his past roles and saw glimpses of the intensity (not of the character) needed to play
such a role. In Affleck's roles, I have seen none of that.
4) The Voice. I just can't hear it. I shutter to think that Affleck is going to use the same/similar
voice that he used for 2003's Daredevil. That. would. be. Awful.
In Conclusion, take my analysis with a grain of salt. I want this movie to fail and I want Snyder to be responsible. Additionally, I feel that this film is being put together for all of the wrong reasons (namely money). Warner Brothers (WB) wants to catch up with Disney and Marvel (Impossible). So, to try and break the records for The Avengers, the WB is arbitrarily putting the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the sequel to Man of Steel just for the box office. For those reasons, aside from the fanboy outrage that is trolling the internet, the excitement for the addition of Batman and Affleck is rather muted.