COMIC-CON: Why Ben Affleck’s Days as Batman Are Numbered.
Ben Affleck can say he loves playing Batman all he wants, but that isn’t the question at hand.
Ben Affleck told the Hall H audience at Comic-Con this weekend that he loves playing The Batman and that he would be crazy not to play the character in the planned solo film The Batman for director Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes, which I reviewed here.). If it were solely up to Affleck, he’d be right. It would be crazy to turn down an opportunity to star in a film that is apart of one of the biggest franchises in history with one of the hottest directors in Hollywood. But it’s not solely up to Affleck and despite his denials, I think it’s clear with the very fact that DC is doing the Flash-centric Flashpoint is anindication that the reports that came out on Friday were correct and Warner Brothers and DC Films are looking to replace Ben Affleck as Batman. This is not based on anything personal. Despite the subpar quality of the films he’s been featured in, Ben is a great Batman. This has more to do with what Ben is willing to do and what the studio and film makers need than it does his willingness to play The Dark Knight.
First, are the studios needs. Batman is the second biggest franchise for Warner Brothers (Harry Potter is the first) and the biggest DC character they have, so obviously it’s in the studio’s interest to use Batman as a draw for some of the smaller properties it wants to do. They’re making a Batgirl movie, you better believe they want Ben Affleck as Batman to make an appearance in that film (and he probably will.) In the minds of WB and DC, Batman is their Iron Man, he’s a character they can place in films to help draw people to it. Robert Downey Jr. does this frequently for Marvel, but Robert Downey Jr’s career resurgence is almost exclusively because of Marvel and Iron Man. It’s no wonder he’s ready to do whatever they need him to do. Ben Affleck’s career resurgence has been independent of Batman. He first directed his brother in Gone Baby Gone before people began taking notice of his chops in The Town and eventually recieving an Oscar for Best Picture with Argo. Affleck’s career was on the rise without Batman and DC and the two films he’s been in so far (Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad) were considered subpar by half of fandom and most critics despite alot of them praising Affleck’s preformance as Batman. In other words, Affleck’s career was probably a lot better off before Batman than after. He might enjoy being Batman, but if he’s reluctant to do the role or he’s busy making another film when he’s needed to film a part as Batman, it might not be in the studio’s best interest to keep him on. Better to cast a younger, lesser known actor who can build his career with Batman.
Matt Reeves, the new director of the Batman movies wants do a trilogy and the first film isn’t likely to come out until 2019 at the earliest. Ben will be 46 and he looks like he’s in his 40’s. Reeves will want the same actor in the role through the three films. When Affleck was going to direct The Batman he had indicated his plan was to do one and do a Batman: The Long Halloween style film where most of Batman’s rogues gallery make appearences in the film. Reeves is far more interested in doing a three part character study, that’s going to require more screen time for the Batman and two more films between Justice League movies, Batman family movies (Batgirl, Nightwing, Suicide Squad 2, Gotham City Sirens, etc.) plus other films where Batman’s presence might be a help, it may be that Affleck simply doesn’t have the time, energy or years to put into the role.
Then there’s the matter of Flashpoint. For those of you unfamiliar with Flashpoint, it’s a story where Barry Allen (The Flash) goes back in time to stop his mom from being murdered. When he returns to the present, everything has changed: Wonder Woman and Aquaman are at war and have destroyed Europe, Superman is nowhere to be found, and Bruce Wayne was murdered instead of his parents in that alley. Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s father becomes The Batman. Barry has no powers. Batman helps Barry get his powers back so he can fix the timeline and save Bruce. Of course Flash saves the day, but everything has changed, some characters are younger, some have died, others that died have lived. This gives WB a perfect reason to cast a younger actor as Bruce/Batman, give Superman a lighter tone (I’d also suggest recasting Amy Adams, who’s lovely, but not right for Lois), perhaps Steve Trevor (Chris Pine’s character in Wonder Woman) is saved by this and brought into the present somehow. It gives Warner Brothers the opportunity to give their universe a sort of Rebirth to wipe away the more dour aspects that didn’t work and bring the universe more in line with what has made Wonder Woman so successful. And it wouldn’t be random! The film could start with Affleck’s Batman and Flash working together, have Thomas Wayne Flashpoint Batman through the majority of the film (who could be played by Jeffery Dean Morgan, who played Thomas in Batman v Superman) and then when the Flash fixes the timeline, it can change things and thats where the studio would be able to introduce the new, younger Batman. It’s a way, much like the reboot of Star Trek to make a recast / “soft reboot” work. They could keep Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Henry Cavill as Superman and recast some minor characters if they feel thats neccessary.
Considering the studio needs Batman to be available with an actor who isn’t self conscious about putting on the cape and cowl, the director of The Batman and at least it’s two sequels needs longevity out of it’s Dark Knight and that WB seems to be hedging it’s bets with Flashpoint, I believe, despite his denials, Ben Affleck’s days as Batman are numbered. I could be wrong, he could be committing to the studio that he’s ready to play this role for another 10–15 years (he would be 59 in 15 years, yikes), but all signs are pointing to a new Dark Knight.
