Per The Wrap, Ben Affleck will play Batman in the upcoming sequel to Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.
Go ahead. Bitch, moan, complain, and vent about how terrible this casting is because of Gigli or Daredevil or his association with Kevin Smith. We’ll wait.
Done? Good, because Affleck as Batman in Man of Steel 2 is actually some pretty exciting casting news, and no one should be all that surprised either.
Admittedly I was expecting a lesser known name in the role, but Affleck makes perfect sense. Warner Bros. loves the guy, and after more than a year of rumors and speculation that he would be directing their Justice League ensemble and/or possibly playing the Caped Crusader in it this seems to be an equally interesting announcement. Better actually as that Justice League movie continues to look like trouble for all involved. I’d love for him take the reigns from Snyder and direct Man of Steel 2 as well, but it will be enough seeing him go head to head with Henry Cavill’s Superman.
And is there any other actor, let alone a good actor, who’s donned three distinct superhero costumes for the movies? Ryan Reynolds, Halle Berry and Chris Evans each have two, but Affleck will now have them beat. (And yes, I am cheating a bit by counting his role as an actor who played Superman…)
Plus, maybe Affleck can give Snyder some directing tips while he’s on set. Granted, Costner could have done the same in the first movie, but we can dream can’t we?
But there are three areas where I’d say this may be remotely troubling news. First, a role in a big film like this will keep him of out of the director’s chair for too long. As much as I like Affleck as an actor I’ve grown incredibly fond of his work behind the camera. And second, Affleck, much like George Clooney, is at his best in roles that allow for humor and personality. Can he handle a character whose demeanor is permanently serious, gruff, and angry? And third, Man of Steel was not a good movie.
We’ll all find out together how good or bad this news is on July 17, 2015 when Man of Steel 2 hits theaters.
But what do you think?
Related Topics: Ben Affleck
