Ben Affleck Could Direct 'Batman' Trilogy
Direct it once, that's fine. Three times -- you're playing with yourself.
Your really angry Facebook may loathe the notion of Ben Affleck playing his beloved Batman, but Warner Bros. executives are super into it. They’re so into it, in fact, they’re prepared to have 10 years or so of the Batfleck.
Den of Geek is reporting that Warner Bros. executives and crew were treated to a screening of an early cut of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Though it wasn’t a final version, the movie earned a standing ovation from Warner executives who believe Ben Affleck’s portrayal to be the ultimate Batman.
As a result, a deal for Ben Affleck to direct and star as Hot Topic’s favorite superhero across a trilogy is being etched out. While this sounds like a Scarecrow nightmare, it could work out well for Warner Bros. But they should pump the brakes.
First the good: Ben Affleck. Detractors like to bring up Daredevil, but that was well over ten years ago. Ben Affleck has grown as an actor — maybe not much, but he has — and based on the trailers alone, it’s apparent Affleck hasn’t phoned in his performance.
His directing record is also impressive. All three of his films — Gone Baby Gone (2007), The Town (2010), and Argo (2012) — have been stellar, the latter of which won three Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards. Giving him a Batman movie could be great.
Now, the bad: They want a trilogy. According to Den of Geek, Warner Bros. wants Batman to be the cornerstone of their cinematic universe, where once upon a time it was Henry Cavill’s Superman who was to be the conduit. Giving Affleck a Batman movie to direct and star himself isn’t a bad idea, giving him three is pushing it. We aren’t far removed from Christopher Nolan’s movies, and there is speculation across the industry that superhero movie fatigue is setting in. If Warner Bros. wants to show the world the definitive Batman ever on film, they should just make it a film and take it from there.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, starring, apparently, the best Batman ever, will be released March 25, 2016.
