Typical isn't it? I go on holiday for just 7 days and some of the biggest movie news of the year breaks out! Here is my take on it..
Warner Brothers have confirmed that Ben Affleck will play the Batman in the untitled Man of Steel sequel. It is believed that in the movie Batman will face off against Superman, played by Henry Cavill. A lot of people are sceptical about Warner Brother's choice, and for good reason.
Affleck has proven himself to now be a well established and talented director and a good actor as well. There are no problems on that side of the equation. However, did Warner Brother's pick the right man?
2 people which I thought would be good in the role were Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling. They both looked the part and I could buy the fact that they could portray the Batman character. I'm not saying they made the wrong choice; hopefully they thought long and hard about the decision and seriously considered the 2 I just mentioned.
This is probably the biggest casting choice the studio will make in terms of what they want to achieve with this franchise. Yes, Henry Cavill as Superman was huge, but back then I thought that it would just be a franchise dedicated to the world of Superman. However, with Batman in the sequel, a Justice League movie (rumoured to be out around 2017) is surely on the horizon. Affleck will have to seriously commit to the role.
In the past, Affleck has played a "caped crusader" in the movie Daredevil. That's probably all the credit he deserves from that movie. He even said himself that he was awful in it and the movie as a whole sucked. However, I have a lot of admiration for this guy's choice. Yes he had a shaky start, but now he is redeeming himself by making good movies (such as Argo) and is ready to take a gamble that could define his career. It's much like the Batman himself?
How will he play off with Cavill? I don't know, but that's not my concern.
I am sure that Ben Affleck will grasp the role as Bruce Wayne. He has a "rich Billionaire" look about it and he has the emotional range in his locker to portray the character. But what of the Batman? It's quite hard to see. Who knows? He could blow us all away with his performance. Only time will tell.
As for the Batman character himself, he can be done in 2 ways because he is so complex and interesting. The Dark Knight trilogy made the Batman a dark, gritty, realistic character who used stealth and ninja tactics to strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. He was damaged and Bale did a super job.
However, the way I think they will go with this movie an older, more experienced Batman (which suits Affleck, him being 41 years of age) who has been there done that. I hope that instead of showing stealth and ninja stuff like they did in the Dark Knight films, they show that Batman can beat Superman through his intellect. Whether that's using gadgets, laying traps for Superman or just simply outsmarting him, he will have to be a suitable match for Superman if he is to beat him. I mean, Superman flattened half a city in Man of Steel, Batman will have to be pretty well prepared to fight him..
I don't know what they will do in this movie. However, I'm certain they will team up in the end and that Lex Luthor will be a villain. That might not even happen..
So, will Affleck be just as good at Batman as Christian Bale was? Did Warner Brothers make the right choice? I'd love to here someone else's opinion!
Thanks for reading, when more movie news breaks out I'll be there to tell you all about it.
Thanks again,
Matt
PS - 3 more movie reviews to come before August ends, plus and F1 race review and a BPL season preview! Stick around for that...
