Ben Affleck cast as Batman

[JCoatsworth]

I don't know. I really like Ben Affleck as a director (haven't watched Argo though) but don't care much about him as an actor. He was great in his own movie The Town, but he was in some quite crappy movies as well, which isn't really his fault though.

Honestly, I think Jon Hamm (Mad Men, The Town) would have been awesome as Bruce Wayne. And I should add that I thought Man of Steel was quite bad. Sure, the next movie could be great, but because of Man of Steel I don't really care if the next one is good or bad.

 

[Robb Stark]

I can't emphasize enough how accurate [MENTION=7585]Kean[/MENTION]'s comment on the previous page was, about Batman needing a dynamite script to be effective. Christopher Nolan nailed Batman, and Christian Bale was the perfect choice to play him. You can have the greatest actor in the world play Batman, but if the script isn't there MAKING him cool, it won't work.

As an avid Batman reader, I'm always leery whenever a new writer takes over the Batman comics or a new project is initiated on the big or small screen, simply because as a huge fan of Bruce Wayne, the writer/producer really needs to get Batman. They need to understand his unique presence, what makes him cool and especially, what makes him special without superpowers in a world with superpowers. In a team-up movie like "Batman/Superman" or "Justice League", that's even more important.

For the upcoming movie, I think it's important that the idea gets transmitted by the end that Batman and Superman are friends. That the entire DC Universe looks up to them, and that that singularity of focus and command if you will, weighs on them. As such, they really, truly understand one another, even when they don't agree, and they are the only really, true "friends" each other has. The comics, especially the relaunched Justice League title under Geoff Johns, GETS that. Clark Kent is the only person in the whole world Bruce Wayne really considers a friend. It's something that makes their relationship and friendship very unique and very cool.

I think Affleck can work well. If I knew nothing about him at least, I would look at him and say "this guy really LOOKS like Batman". I think he very much has the physical presence to pull it off. At the same time, before he was even cast, I knew that nobody could ever replace Bale for me. To me, Christian Bale is and always will be THE Batman. I accept that and I love Batman, so I'm willing to give the reboot a chance. I'm not expecting Affleck or the movie to exceed or "beat" the Nolan/Bale trilogy. It's its own thing, and I think Ben Affleck can do very well with it.

 

[Buffy Summers]

Christopher Nolan did NOT nail Batman. Thank god he won't be involved in this one.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

A part of me, a very small, dark and evil part of me, kinda hopes WB releases a statement casting Jennifer Lopez as Catwomen, becasue they want to capture their chemistry from Gigli.

Just to see the internet collectively shut down.

 

[Robb Stark]

Christopher Nolan did NOT nail Batman. Thank god he won't be involved in this one.

It's subjective of course, but compared to Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and god, especially George Clooney, Bale has been as close to Bruce Wayne/Batman from the comics. By leaps and bounds. The only other one I can think of who captures the presence of Batman from the comics is Kevin Conroy, but because he's only done animated and game credits, there's a bit of an asterisk there.

I know you don't like the Nolan movies (and really, I know nothing about Nolan personally, so I can't fairly comment on if he's a dick or not. I have heard that though), but I think the vast majority of people disagree with you.

 

[Black Eye Guy]

I loved Nolans Batman series, they are 3 brilliant films, but I'm not a comic book batman fan.

But wasn't he more of a detective in the comics then action hero?

My favorite batman so far is from the Arkham games, sooooo good!

 

[Robb Stark]

I loved Nolans Batman series, they are 3 brilliant films, but I'm not a comic book batman fan.

But wasn't he more of a detective in the comics then action hero?

My favorite batman so far is from the Arkham games, sooooo good!

The Arkham games nailed it perfectly.

I'm REALLY hoping they go more of the detective route with Affleck's Batman. In the comics Batman is very much the "World's Greatest Detective" along with being pretty much a genius. They really scaled those aspects back in the Nolan movies because, and this is just a theory of mine I've come up with, it would make Batman a bit inaccessible to relate to. Lucias Fox's character in those movies is greatly expanded from his presence in the comic books, and he really took over that part of Batman's character from the comics (with the inventions. In the comics Batman invents the vast majority of his own gadgets).

With the new movie though, they have to add a new dimension, because no matter how impressive Batman is physically, no matter how great of a martial artist he is, he's still standing next to Superman. So they have to find a new way for Batman to stand out and stand on his own. I think really focusing on just how smart and intelligent Bruce Wayne is will the way they'll go. To people who know Batman from the comics, it's easy to see why he's so awesome. But to fans who aren't as familiar with him, the movie has to answer the question many will have of "why does Superman need Batman? Why is Batman important when Superman is here?" The comics get that perfectly, but the movies will have to find something to define that well enough.

 

[LyteHouse]

Christopher Nolan did NOT nail Batman. Thank god he won't be involved in this one.

Agreed.

In my opinion, Tim Burton came closest to getting Batman right back in '89. And he cast Mr Mom!

 

[Bluebird]

I'm glad folk here are giving Ben Affleck a chance. 🙂 There's already such a nasty backlash against him. I think he definitely has the ability to do this and he really understands stories. I just get the feeling that if the movie is bad he'll get the blame for it.

 

[Kean]

There was a tweet I saw over the weekend that said something like, "Make an acclaimed comeback. Win an Oscar. Get cast as Batman. Back to Gigli." I think that is a very succinct way of summing up the whole thing. If this film is bad, it won't be Affleck's fault though he will get all the blame.

 

[Kairos]

My first reaction was a pretty loud "STOOO-PID!" but then I

1. Realized that if I don't really care about Affleck as an actor and I'm not hugely into Batman as a character, my opinion isn't exactly gold

2. Saw this one tweet that said "Let him among us who is without sin cast the next Batman", and having a context to make that joke alone was worth it

3. Read @BlackEyeGuy's extremely convincing arguments regarding Affleck's chin.

Therefore, Bland-Faced Matt Damon Sidekick Guy, I salute you! Best of luck.

 

[JCoatsworth]

OK, so I thought about it again, and I'm now officially for Ben Affleck as Batman!

And here's the main reason:

Please, everyone who's bitching about how bad Affleck is gonna be as Batman, check out what the "internet" said about the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight: http://i.newsarama.com/images/i/000/112/043/original/ledgerresponse.jpg?1377268256
Yeah, they were all so wrong.

 

[Little Miss Muffet]

OK, so I thought about it again, and I'm now officially for Ben Affleck as Batman!

And here's the main reason:

Please, everyone who's bitching about how bad Affleck is gonna be as Batman, check out what the "internet" said about the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight: http://i.newsarama.com/images/i/000/112/043/original/ledgerresponse.jpg?1377268256
Yeah, they were all so wrong.

I can't give you anymore Karma... but OMG! Heath<33 He has been the best villan out of all these superhero movies that have been coming out in the recent years. I still don't like the idea of Ben as Batman but you're right we have to keep an open mind about the new Batman.

 

[NY State of Mind]

Who knows maybe he'll suprise us, but Ben is not a gifted actor lol...I don't think he's good outside playing his comfort zone. I don't blame him for Daredevil though that was a whole studio problem. I also didn't like Bale either...he was fine as Bruce but as Batman I found him weak. The real question is....Is Superman that lame he needs Batman in his film? Short Answer: Yes

 

[Black Eye Guy]

Read that Bieber instagramed a picture of the "Batman vs Sumerman" script with [HASHTAG]#robin[/HASHTAG]

Most places are saying its a joke, and might be related to a Funny or Die sketch he filmed, but can you imagine if this were true, the internet will shut down!!


http://instagram.com/p/eOODXzgvpq/#

 

[Blaze]

OK, so I thought about it again, and I'm now officially for Ben Affleck as Batman!

And here's the main reason:

Please, everyone who's bitching about how bad Affleck is gonna be as Batman, check out what the "internet" said about the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker in The Dark Knight: http://i.newsarama.com/images/i/000/112/043/original/ledgerresponse.jpg?1377268256
Yeah, they were all so wrong.

I don't have much of an opinion about Affleck but after reading that page, I just have to say that sadly the main reason people didn't like Ledger's casting was because he played a gay guy (and may I just say he was amazing in BBM). I mean, haft of those posts about him are crazy offensive and not based on any real facts. A lot of people didn't like Ledger based on that unfortunately, but truth is he was an amazing actor. I don't think Affleck even closely compares to Ledger based on acting skills. I think Affleck will make a fine Batman, and I'm not trashing Ben as a Batman choice, but I don't think he'll ever be able to convince the haters the way Ledger did. I just don't think that this is a good comparison.

Ps. I can't be the only that wanted Joseph Gordon-Levitt cast as Robin right?

 

[JCoatsworth]

I don't have much of an opinion about Affleck but after reading that page, I just have to say that sadly the main reason people didn't like Ledger's casting was because he played a gay guy (and may I just say he was amazing in BBM). I mean, haft of those posts about him are crazy offensive and not based on any real facts. A lot of people didn't like Ledger based on that unfortunately, but truth is he was an amazing actor. I don't think Affleck even closely compares to Ledger based on acting skills. I think Affleck will make a fine Batman, and I'm not trashing Ben as a Batman choice, but I don't think he'll ever be able to convince the haters the way Ledger did. I just don't think that this is a good comparison.

Ps. I can't be the only that wanted Joseph Gordon-Levitt cast as Robin right?

Well, I'm not comparing Ben Affleck to Heath Ledger. I'm just saying that the people who said Heath couldn't pull off the Joker we're wrong. It's a stupid thing to say that an actor won't be able to play a role, just because he has previously played a completely different role. And yes, the comments are offensive, and honestly, that's really sad.
I also think that playing Batman isn't that hard. Playing Bruce Wayne is harder, but I think Ben Affleck can pull it off.

 

[white avenger]

But wasn't he more of a detective in the comics then action hero?

Back in the old days, Batman was portrayed as being the "world's greatest detective," and there was a distinct difference between the two phrases, "action hero," and "super hero." All "super heroes" were also "action heroes," but it wasn't always the other way around. Characters like Batman and Green Arrow, Hawkeye, and the Black Widow, to name just a few, relied on weapons, gadgets, and specialized training in martial arts and acrobatics to get their work done. It's only been in the last 20 years or so that they have all become referred to as super heroes.

 

[Robb Stark]

In the comics, the detective part is still very much emphasized. If you read Batman, there's no doubt whatsoever that Bruce Wayne is still the World's Greatest Detective.