Affleck is Batman

[Random Axe]

after having a few days to let this Affleck thing absorb I feel conficent he'll knock this one outta the park. He might not be the best actor out there( I dunno, haven;t seen him in much recently) but he's very, very smart. He gets comics, he gets comic fans and he knows how to make a successful film. I have no doubts he'll have some input on story and plot and will not take stupid chances. He's savvy enough to grasp the Batman concept and stay focused to deliver the goods. I do feel this was about as lazy of a casting effort as WB could have made, but I also feel this is going to pay dividends in spite of WB's ineptitude.

[hedrap]

Has Goyer been booted?

Affleck could have been in the background all along. Didn't the WB met with him about directing MOS before Snyder was hired/announced? Maybe it was directing and starring in the JLA movie? Timeline is escaping me, but it was reported that he had met with WB about DC properties. This wasn't totally out of the blue, other than he turned something down before, which only means not now; maybe later.

They won't boot Goyer or Snyder, it will be attrition. We'll probably hear of revisions by Affleck or someone he's worked with, like Kevin Smith, on Batman/Superman. That will effectively move Goyer onto the bench. Snyder will hang through until after a final lockdown, then he'll step aside.

WB did try to get Affleck to direct Justice League when they were debating what was to follow TDK Rises, then after they agreed to MOS. But that was Robinov and Tull.

What it all looks like, and this is really why I'm washing my hands of WB, is this was all a lie on Affleck's part. WB wanted him to stay in-house since he was becoming a solid director who could draw talent, so they offered him their biggest prize in JLA. But he wanted to be Batman. Robinov and Tull said no, so he walked. New mangagment comes in, Affleck waits to see what happens with MOS and Nolan's crew. Once Nolan passes, Affleck makes his pitch; he'll turn JLA into Ocean's Fourteen if he gets to play Batman. WB agrees. A total 90's move.

When you really think about, he has no reason to take this role on. The hostility comes from it being typical Affleck; a self-deserving, narcissistic move. It started with Good Will and how Van Sant did a massive rewrite, but they got the Oscar. It goes through Pearl Harbor, Bennifer, Daredevil and does a U-Turn with Hollywoodland. Since then, he's seemed different, but this confirms otherwise. If he was not the same guy, he would have stayed behind the lens and taken someone on the verge of break through and made their career. That's what Michael Bay did for him.

Yet, he knew full well how people were going to react to Batman and he didn't care. What does he have to prove career-wise at this point? Nothing, so he covets something. This isn't a creative thing. I think we all would've been jazzed if he grabbed something like Suicide Squad, Flash, Swamp Thing, etc...and ran with it. But he went right for the gorilla knowing, no matter how much resistance there was to him in the role, the first big-screen meeting was going to trump that. And historically, he will always be Batman in that movie.

For a number of us, this is also a bitter pill because we're around the same age as Affleck and this run is probably the last big screen hurrah for Batman due to the changing media landscape. It's incredibly disappointing.

[BlackKnight]

[MIB41]

They won't boot Goyer or Snyder, it will be attrition. We'll probably hear of revisions by Affleck or someone he's worked with, like Kevin Smith, on Batman/Superman. That will effectively move Goyer onto the bench. Snyder will hang through until after a final lockdown, then he'll step aside.

WB did try to get Affleck to direct Justice League when they were debating what was to follow TDK Rises, then after they agreed to MOS. But that was Robinov and Tull.

What it all looks like, and this is really why I'm washing my hands of WB, is this was all a lie on Affleck's part. WB wanted him to stay in-house since he was becoming a solid director who could draw talent, so they offered him their biggest prize in JLA. But he wanted to be Batman. Robinov and Tull said no, so he walked. New mangagment comes in, Affleck waits to see what happens with MOS and Nolan's crew. Once Nolan passes, Affleck makes his pitch; he'll turn JLA into Ocean's Fourteen if he gets to play Batman. WB agrees. A total 90's move.

When you really think about, he has no reason to take this role on. The hostility comes from it being typical Affleck; a self-deserving, narcissistic move. It started with Good Will and how Van Sant did a massive rewrite, but they got the Oscar. It goes through Pearl Harbor, Bennifer, Daredevil and does a U-Turn with Hollywoodland. Since then, he's seemed different, but this confirms otherwise. If he was not the same guy, he would have stayed behind the lens and taken someone on the verge of break through and made their career. That's what Michael Bay did for him.

Yet, he knew full well how people were going to react to Batman and he didn't care. What does he have to prove career-wise at this point? Nothing, so he covets something. This isn't a creative thing. I think we all would've been jazzed if he grabbed something like Suicide Squad, Flash, Swamp Thing, etc...and ran with it. But he went right for the gorilla knowing, no matter how much resistance there was to him in the role, the first big-screen meeting was going to trump that. And historically, he will always be Batman in that movie.

For a number of us, this is also a bitter pill because we're around the same age as Affleck and this run is probably the last big screen hurrah for Batman due to the changing media landscape. It's incredibly disappointing.

Well said. Affleck to me is a choice suggesting a personality film and the Justice League will be as you say "Oceans Fourteen" in casting. Many of these upcoming movies are looking like paper-thin costumes flicks for celebs to have an easy payday. That's why we're losing the meaning of our heroes. It should always be about the story and who can best portray the essence of those characters.

[madmarva]

Hedrep, I appreciate your viewpoint and insight on what might happen. It's always interesting whether it pans out or not.

I'm guessing, Affleck's reason for wanting the part is that he wants to play Batman. What comic book fan who became an actor wouldn't? But he's garnered the clout to get the deal based on the success he's had since Gone Baby Gone.

No one becomes prominent in their profession without help and some do their help dirty along the way and that may or may not be the case with Affleck. I've got no clue about that.

The difference post Gigli might be that he grew up a bit and began to put more effort in his craft rather than trying to be Mr. Hollywood Playboy.

There are actors out there I'd rather see in the role, but WB could have done worse, particularly considering his directing and screen-writing skills.

Cosmicbooknews is reporting Bryan Cranstan as Luthor to be announced shortly after the conclusion of Breaking Bad's conclusion, siting unnamed sources. He's not a fit to me, but he's a good actor.

[Random Axe]

I don't think anything Affleck could do to the DC cinematic universe would be any worse that what Jim Lee has done to the comic universe. At least Ben has his finger on the pulse of the comic fans since he's one himself. Lee, for all his talents and past success, has forgotten what a wrist looks like to check.

[huedell]

I want that on a coffee mug, a t-shirt, and most importantly a BILLBOARD.

Don't invest the money, man! Cause if you DO... and the new Affleck-Batman is a success... that's a lot of green down the toilet.