Ben Affleck is going to play Batman. Ben Affleck. Is. Going. TO PLAY BATMAN. In a world where Christian Bale has been the only man in the cowl since 2005 — a world where it’s been more than fifteen years since Batman & Robin and George Clooney and the nipple-suit, and sweet Jesus we have finally almost recovered — Warner Bros. has gone and hired Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader. Affleck will appear opposite Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel sequel, allegedly titled Batman vs. Superman. The still officially untitled film is set for July 17, 2015.
Snyder’s comment seems remarkably measured for a guy who undoubtedly had to divert himself from a Gatsbyesque fray of casting coup-inspired bottle-popping: “Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.†Two quick things to never forget here: The man who directed the latest Oscar winner for Best Picture is going to be directed by the man who did Sucker Punch, and Ben Affleck already did Daredevil ten years ago.
Lastly: It seemed a sure bet the Man of Steel sequel would introduce a new Batman who would go on to headline his own post-Christopher Nolan franchise, as well as the terminally delayed Justice League, perhaps. (Affleck turned down the directing job on the latter.) Will Affleck really wear a cape till he’s almost 50? Or will WB wait to see how people respond to this news and/or to Snyder’s next film before going ahead with an actual Affleck-as-Batman series? Can Snyder work his way into the Batman business? When was the last time you saw Twitter go this crazy, anyway?