Ben Affleck Will Play The Bat!

[PunkNinja]

Ben Affleck announced to play Batman - joblo.com

With all the speculation, back and forth, rumors, and hopes, Warner Bros. has settled on their new Batman and it's none other than Ben Affleck!
Some had hoped that Christian Bale would return to the role, while others felt that Karl Urban was the best choice (according to our Cast This he was the big winner), however the Oscar winning Affleck will be taking on the cowl instead and I have to say it's actually an outstanding choice and one I'd never even considered.
There were early rumors that Affleck would tackle the planned JUSTICE LEAGUE film a while back and perhaps that was a stepping stone that led to him taking on the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Affleck will join Henry Cavill for Zack Snyders follow-up to MAN OF STEEL in the untitled SUPERMAN/BATMAN film that is slated for release in 2015.

Here's the official press release from WB:

Spoiler

Ending weeks of speculation, Ben Affleck has been set to star as Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne. Affleck and filmmaker Zack Snyder will create an entirely new incarnation of the character in Snyder’s as-yet-untitled project—bringing Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen and continuing the director’s vision of their universe, which he established in “Man of Steel.” The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

The studio has slated the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.

Last month’s surprise announcement of the new movie featuring both Superman and Batman created a wave of excitement and immediately fueled discussion and debate—among fans as well as in the media—about who would put on the cape and cowl of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego.

Snyder successfully re-imagined the origin of Clark Kent/Superman in the worldwide blockbuster “Man of Steel,” which has earned more than $650 million worldwide to date, and climbing. The director will now create an original vision of Batman and his world for the film that brings the two DC Comics icons together.

Affleck will star opposite Henry Cavill, who will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent. The film will also reunite “Man of Steel” stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.

In the announcement, Silverman stated, “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

Snyder also expressed his excitement about the casting of Affleck, noting, “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.”

Kroll added, “We are so thrilled that Ben is continuing Warner Bros.’ remarkable legacy with the character of Batman. He is a tremendously gifted actor who will make this role his own in this already much-anticipated pairing of these two beloved heroes.”

Affleck recently starred in the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture “Argo,” which he also directed and produced, earning acclaim and a BAFTA Award nomination for his performance in the film, as well as a number of directing honors. In 2010, he starred in and directed the hit crime thriller “The Town.” His recent acting work also includes “The Company Men,” “State of Play,” and “Hollywoodland,” for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Earlier in his career, Affleck starred in and co-wrote (with Matt Damon) “Good Will Hunting,” for which he won an Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay.
The new Super Hero film is being scripted by David S. Goyer from a story he co-created with Zack Snyder. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as executive producers.

Production is expected to begin in 2014.

The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.

 

[kryptonite]

Worst news ever...


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[shadow2351jl]

I have to agree.

Worst news ever...


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[hiratafabio]

Every single friend I have wanted to die with this piece of news, lol! Like I told one of them: either I'm too dumb for movies or it's just part of me that doesn't give a dime about it hahaha. I'd really like to see Bale again, but I don't see how Affleck could ruin it, although I don't expect him to surpass his predecessor.

 

[tridon]

I don't agree at all. I think Affleck could nail the role as long as he brings his A-game like he has over the past few years with films like The Town and Argo. That said, I was really hoping for more of an unknown actor to play the part (such as Matthew Fox, Jeffrey Donovan or Alex O'Laughlin).

 

[PunkNinja]

Ben Affleck has become an excellent director, but as an actor I think he's average. He did a very good job in The Town though. Anyway half of his face will be cover 50% of the film so. We'll see.

 

[kryptonite]

Ben Affleck is a good actor but the fanboy in me hates him. My wife hates him. It would have been better if an unknown was cast or a lesser known actor.

---------- Post added at 01:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 PM ----------

Ben Affleck has become an excellent director, but as an actor I think he's average. He did a very good job in The Town though. Anyway half of his face will be cover 50% of the film so. We'll see.

I hope Bruce Wayne doesn't make an appearance in the movie. That way only his chin can be seen.

 

[Sir Hilary Bray]

First rule of playing Batman - Never rub another mans rhubarb!

 

[Scary Hair]

Interesting casting I like Ben Affleck as an actor but as Batman I am not sure that he has a dark enough edge.

The best bat for me the one who got the agony and angst the best Michael Keaton . Bale was good however no where near as good .

Have to wait and see I guess.

 

[ABjerg]

Ben Affleck is a prettyboy. He doesn't fit the bad ass role of the Batman.

Call Karl Urban and we're talking. Ben Affleck is a good actor and all but not as a tough superhero, I'm sorry.

 

[Shayid]

Please no!!!!

 

[PunkNinja]

Batman Backlash: Ben Affleck Has Nothing on Michael Keaton.

Courtesy of moviemet.com

Ben Affleck hardly had time to read his morning paper announcing that Warner Bros. had hired him to play Batman in an upcoming "Batman vs. Superman" movie before the guano already started hitting the fan. Or rather, it's the fans that are doing the flinging.

Variety reports that fans are in such a snit over Affleck's casting—they do know it's not the Afflac duck, right?—that they're circulating petitions here, there, and everywhere to have him removed from the project before he can even be fitted for a cape.
Well, as Brendan Behan once quipped, "There is no such thing as bad publicity, except your own obituary." And I'd be surprised if fans have written Affleck-as-Batman's.

Courtesy of variety.com

Fanboys forget how unhappy they were back when Tim Burton gave comic actor the role.
Comic-book fans have an understandable fear of not being taken seriously, particularly when it comes to a signature character like Batman, who has been subjected to no end of camp treatment and abuse (sorry, Adam West) through the years.

Still, the collective outrage over the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman reveals not only a stunning level of hyperbole (it’s not like they cast Andy Dick or Oliver Platt, for heaven’s sake) but a remarkably short memory, given how disappointed and disturbed people were when Michael Keaton landed the role back in 1989.

Keaton, of course, was best known as a comic actor, but director Tim Burton had worked with him on “Beetlejuice” and saw something there that others clearly didn’t. And while Keaton wasn’t particularly memorable, nor did he embarrass himself or torpedo the project, in what’s widely regarded as not only a firstrate superhero movie but a pivotal success — along with the X-Men trilogy, which launched a little over a decade later — that helped usher in the current age of comic-book franchises ruling the cinema roost.

Perhaps foremost, Burton’s “Batman” underscored that the primary star doesn’t really have to carry one of these movies, especially when he’s obscured by cape and cowl for much of the action. What really stood out about that film, in fact, was Jack Nicholson’s “Take that, Cesar Romero” twist on the Joker, just as Heath Ledger’s menacing turn helped elevate “The Dark Knight” and Liam Neeson brought gravitas to Christopher Nolan’s reboot “Batman Begins.”

What distinguished Burton’s “Batman,” ultimately, is how dark and serious it was, in a stark departure from the 1960s TV series and the comic villains in “Superman.” Those qualities were precisely what was lost as the franchise shifted into the hands of Joel Schumacher, despite replacing Keaton with two actors, Val Kilmer and George Clooney, ostensibly much better suited to the role in terms of looks and physical presence.

So while it’s easy to focus on the leads, what’s really important is the director and tone. And with “Man of Steel’s” Zack Snyder set to direct the upcoming Superman-Batman combo, it’s not like we should expect a bunch of “Biff! Wham! Pow!” graphics popping up on screen.
It’s easy to forget, though, how outlandish and unexpected casting Keaton seemed at the time. As the actor told the Los Angeles Times in 2011, “There was no guarantee that any of this was going to play correctly when it was all said and done. There had never been a movie like it before. There was a lot of risk, too, with Jack looking the way he did and me stepping out in this new way. The pressure was on everybody. You could feel it.”

Come to think of it, if Twitter had existed when Keaton was cast, the service might have exploded.
In some respects, the latest Batman backlash will only help the movie, as the influx of traffic has already inspired other news outlets to weigh in (see CNN’s “The Lead With Jake Tapper” today), which will provide Warner Bros. with plenty of free promotion.

For now, however, write it off as another tempest in a teapot, more bluster in the batcave. And incidentally, with apologies to my bosses at Variety, anybody who would bother to take an online poll on whether Ben Affleck should be Batman is likely to be highly predisposed to voting “NO,” so the results are skewed to the point of absurdity.

Batman’s already made it to the ripe old age of 75, and once the fanboys have finished throwing their latest temper tantrum and cooler heads prevail, he’ll survive this, too.

The already shaky reputation of comic-book geeks, alas, might be another matter.

 

[Ben]

Oh FFS!

Bale stopped playing Batman in his late 30's, Affleck starts in his early to mid 40's they really haven't thought this through have they.

They probably haven't seen his failed attempt at DareDevil either

 

[Horhay]

I honestly think this casting was due to the fact that Affleck is sort of a household name at WB. This just seems like WB was not willing to go out and really look for someone else.

 

[tridon]

First off, his age has nothing to do with it. This is NOT a continuation of The Dark Knight Trilogy and it's already been said that Snyder/producers wanted a slightly older Batman in this film because they want him to seem like he's been established as a crime-fighter for several years prior (hence why he's the one who goes after Superman -- he's a seasoned superhero).

Secondly, I'm really tired off all the Affleck hate online and the continuous mention of stuff like Gigli. That film was shot over a decade ago... move on with your life.

Yes, Affleck has done his fare of crappy films over the years, but so did Bale before he was Batman. People DESPISED the casting of Heath Ledger as The Joker at first and we all know how that turned out.

Affleck can be a GREAT actor when needed. There's a reason that he's received so much recognition for The Town and Argo and it's not just because he directed them. Other films that he was excellent in were Boiler Room, To the Wonder and Hollywoodland. The fact of the matter is, don't judge until you've seen the film. Personally, going off of past films, I think Affleck will play a better Bruce Wayne than Bale did. His Batman, though... that's questionable. I'm down with it, though. If it fails, Warner will just relaunch Batman again a year or two later, so there's really nothing to worry about.

 

[toddly6666]

All great reasons why Affleck is an excellent choice:
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[cooey]

Cannot wait!!!