If there is a problem with casting Ben Affleck as the next Batman it could be because when you see Ben Affleck you see, well, Ben Affleck!
Affleck's star shines rather brightly and I think many of us assumed the role of Batman would go to someone who wouldn't eclipse anyone else on the marquee.
Therein lies the other problem with casting Affleck, when the Man of Steel sequel comes out in 2015 it will star Henry Cavill as Superman and...
Ben Affleck as Batman!
Seriously, how are they going to avoid all the attention Affleck is going to get? Everyone will want to see how Ben will handle the Batman character. His casting as Batman has generated an enormous amount of controversy and I think that will continue right up until we see the first trailer and perhaps up until the movie itself comes out.
I was getting pretty used to the idea of a Jim Caviezel Batman or perhaps another TV denizen such as Anson Mount. Both are accomplished actors, they've had varying degrees of success, mostly good, and their star doesn't shine so bright as to outshine that of Henry Cavill and bump his name from the top of the billing in what's supposed to be his film.
To set the record straight, I like Ben Affleck. He's a local guy and you have to root for the home dude through thick and thin. And Ben has has his share of thin. Those days are long gone and now Affleck is one of the crown jewels of Warner Bros. From what I understand now, they were hotly pursuing him the whole time. There is a terrific article over at Deadline/Hollywood where they enumerate all the advatages to keeping Ben close and happy not the least of which his Oscar status and his ability to both star and direct. The article goes on to say that the big budget Man of Steel 2 will be a good experience for Ben under Zach Snyder and he'll be able to take the training wheels off and tackle the Golden Fleece for DC Comics and Warner Bros in the big screen adaptation of a Justice League movie. The article goes on to say Ben may only star as a supporting role as Batman in various pictures such as the JLA or with Superman off and on in a World's Finest adaptaion.
That makes pretty good sense and I wish I had thought of that. Ben can go on to make his own pet projects when he's not filming a DC movie and his larger than life paycheck will finance anything he desires. Check out that Deadline/Hollywood article, it makes a lot of sense.
So what's the problem with a Ben Affleck Batman? There isn't one. If you take a step back and calm down a little it should be a win win for everyone. We just have to have a little faith. Everyone wanted to see their guy and when it didn't happen all hell broke loose. Even bad publicity is better than no publicity right? Hopefully they will tackle this casting with a little humor too. I'd like to see them promote the next Man of Steel film as as a wholly Superman vehicle and with a little wink at the end of the teaser trailer "and introducing Ben Affleck as Batman." That would be great and it would show everyone they know what they're doing and the firestorm they created.
We all want to see the DC franchise succeed on the big screen and a healthy rivalry with Marvel is a good thing for all concerned.
Problem? What problem?!!!
