Why Warner Bros. Had To Pick Ben Affleck To Play Batman
The Batman / Superman movie will star Henry Cavill as Supes and Ben Affleck as Batman.
Ben Affleck is Batman.
For the fans of the Dark Knight, comic books, movies, superheroes, or entertainment in general, it's all any one is talking about.
Memories of Affleck's portrayal of 2003's "Daredevil" have been fiercely flying around the Internet, leaving many fans worried and confused.
How could a guy who so poorly played a superhero the last time around be chosen for one of the biggest and most loved superhero roles out there?
Consider that after stomaching George Clooney as Batman and odd nippled leather suits, Batfans finally had the envisionment of the hero they wanted with Christian Bale. The new dynamic duo was not Batman and Robin, but Christian Bale and Christopher Nolan (plus David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan).
No longer. Affleck and Snyder are in, Christian Bale and Nolan are out. For fans, Affleck as Batman might not immediately seem the best choice.
But as a business decision, Warner Brother's casting Affleck is a no brainer. They had to do it.
Here's why.
1. Warner Brothers needs a new powerhouse star after losing Legendary Pictures
Affleck is that star. He acts. He directs. He brings in the money. Since 2010, Ben Affleck has brought "The Town" (also Legendary) and Oscar winner "Argo" to screen for WB.
So earlier this summer, when Warner Bros. lost its huge distributor partner Legendary Pictures to Universal Pictures some major decisions had to get made.
Top execs are likely hyper aware of the two Warner Bros. big money makers (other than the "Lord of the Rings" franchise which will end after 2014) which were deals with Legendary Pictures and a certain actor and director by the name of Ben Affleck.
Over the past eight years, Legendary Pictures has delivered a list of successful films including the Batman trilogy, "300," "The Hangover" series, "42," and "Inception," four of which were Christopher Nolan films.
Christopher Nolan is gone. I t's not impossible, but highly unlikely Nolan will carry on with the "Justice League" film. Zack Snyder is clearly at the helm now with writer David S. Goyer, and Goyer has always been the heart driving the stories behind these films.
2. Legendary giving up Batman Vs. Superman needed a strong response
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Since the split, Legendary and WB have been dividing up future films.
While movies "Pacific Rim" and "Godzilla" will be staying with Warner Bros, "Seventh Son" starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore will be heading to Universal.
The most interesting tidbit from the divorce is that Legendary gave up its "Man of Steel" sequel in order to keep its name on Christopher Nolan's upcoming "Interstellar" project.
It appears that "Interstellar" is more important to Legendary than a Batman / Superman film, which is worrying for Batfans.
Warner Brothers likely had to attach as big of a name as possible to the Batman Vs. Superman mashup to keep worries about franchise direction hurting the film's and series prospects. Since Affleck brings a few Oscars and top films into the mix, that certainly helps.
3. Affleck is a proven talent that has worked for the company
Working relationships matter. In Affleck, Warner Bros. turned to someone it has a really good working relationship and track record with. That happens to be "Argo" director Affleck.
Affleck's been previously attached to Batman. His name was also rumored to originally direct the "Justice League" film as early as last year.
Grabbing Affleck seems like a safe bet for Warner Bros. as opposed to taking a risk with other actors as the Caped Crusder.
The man has a huge resume of both acting and directing. He's got star power. He could move into a larger role in the new direction in the future, and he's a safe pick considering his relationship with Warner Brothers.
If all of these reasons translate into a great or good movie/franchise remains to be seen. Batfans, stay tuned.
