So this morning I woke up to the news that Ben Affleck has been confirmed to play The Dark Knight himself, teaming up with Henry Cavill’s Clarke Kent/Kal-El/Superman, in the Superman/Batman movie set for a 2015 release … and I’m not sure how I feel about this. I had to check multiple reliable sources had reported this just to make sure it wasn’t a hoax, I checked my calendar to find it wasn’t in fact April 1st … Yes, this news is correct!
So, my first thought is … Ben Affleck must have forgotten what he said back in 2006:
“by playing a superhero in Daredevil, I have inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero… Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn’t want to do again .”
Now, I do think Ben can be forgiven for saying this, as after all it was only 3 years after the release of the dismal Marvel’s Daredevil, so the wound would still have been fresh. And to be frank, who wouldn’t want to don the Batsuit and hit the streets? I think in the art of fairness the quote should be allowed to be edited to :
“Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn’t want to do again … unless of course it is the costume of the most badass superhero around”
Although – these are big boots to fill. Christian Bale for me was so iconic in the role as Batman, I can’t help but feel that it is too soon to bring a new Batman into the DC universe. I think I’m going to have a hard time seeing anyone else as Batman for quite sometime, although bear in mind this isn’t set for release for another 2 years … so that might change (however unlikely).
I do have confidence that the move will be another great instalment in the DC universe, alongside the fantastic Dark Knight trilogy, Watchmen and more recently Man of Steel (Green Lantern is discounted from this list for obvious reasons!). And the reason for this confidence is that Zac Snyder was the director for both Watchmen and Man of Steel – and with a hand in from Christopher Nolan, the driving force behind The Dark Knight this should move in the right direction – the only down side is I have yet to see Jonathan Nolan included as a writer yet, who was one of the main writers for the DK films. Hopefully though Snyder and Affleck can really make this character their own, and not just a carbon copy of the Bale/Nolan version.
But back to Affleck … I’m not his biggest fan, although I do quite like him and think he gets given a hard time, so it will be interesting to see how he copes swapping codes from Marvel to DC, as the hero Gotham deserves.
My initial thoughts on a new Batman is .. too soon guys, too soon.
What are your opinions on the casting of Affleck for this role? Leave a comment with your thoughts!
pride and joy movies 