Affleck Won’t Give Us Bat-Nipples: Why Ben Is A Good Choice For Batman

Last week, the internet exploded all over itself on the news of Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in Zach Snyder’s sequel to Man of Steel; mostly I saw pure rage and incredulity. “Ben Affleck is a terrible Batman!” yelled multiple sources. Hmm… the last time that I saw such outrage over casting news was when some no-talent pretty-boy was cast as The Joker. And we all know how that turned out. Also, let’s not forget that schlub Michael Keaton being cast as the original Tim Burton Batman! That was a disaster! We’re talking Mr. Mom, here! The Internet has a very short memory as far as these things go. According to the mass culture, every casting idea is the worst ever until it actually works. Remember the rage of Daniel Craig as James Blond? And here the Bond franchise just released its strongest performing movie of all time (unadjusted for inflation).

But this isn’t a polemic on how the internet masses go far too insane over casting news. Instead, I’d like to propose an idea that might just make the internet lose their minds (again): Ben Affleck should take over complete creative control of the Batman franchise. Outside of the serials from the 1940s, there are 8 widely available Batman films that anybody can pick up at a video store. There was the Batman movie from Adam West’s delightfully campy adventures in the mid-60s TV show, followed by two Tim Burton films, two by Joel Schumacher, and three by Christopher Nolan. Which ones do people remember the most fondly? The ones by Burton and Nolan. These films all have a seriousness and darkness in tone that Schumacher’s lacked and was not a part of the 60s TV series. Even Burton’s moments of humor were dark and sometimes quite disturbing, as he was heavily influenced by not only Frank Miller’s mature The Dark Knight Returns, but also Grant Morrison and Dave McKean’s dark Arkham Asylum series.

Each of these different directors left their marks on the series, and each Bat-Actor has brought something unique to the role as well. Michael Keaton managed to play the parts of Bruce Wayne and Batman in an almost understated, quirky way. This made the “let’s get nuts” scene seem downright frightening! Val Kilmer was a bit more straightforward, almost reserved, and ended up almost not bringing anything noteworthy to the role while a newly movie starred George Clooney was unable to be taken seriously, what with the nipples, one liners and everything. Then there’s Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne, arguably the best yet, with his perfect balance of privileged heir and dark knight. His Batman was borderline psychotic, as it should have been, because what sane person dresses as a bat and fights crime?

And now we have Ben Affleck, playing an older Batman in his forties. Will he be portraying the more Neal Adams Detective Comics version of Batman? Will there be a more somber tone to this entry given Batman’s age? With Affleck’s background as a director of mystery films like Gone Baby Gone and The Town, will we finally get the detective aspect of Batman on film? Just which Batman will Affleck be?

Ultimately, it’s impossible to be a Batman purist given how many interpretations we’ve had of the character; from the original Detective Comics, to Denny O’Neil, to Frank Miller, but I believe it is safe to say that the more serious and darker edged Batman films are the ones that the public craves. And who better to take on the task of helping to craft a serious series of films based on this character than Ben Affleck? He co-wrote and directed two serious and critically acclaimed crime films based on previously published works. Having read Gone Baby Gone, it’s clear to me that Affleck understands how to use the most important details from the source material and still remain faithful to the spirit of it, even while making some major changes. The Town was adapted from Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan, a crime thriller that was one of the best heist films since Heat (a comparison which can also be made with The Dark Knight). And then there is Argo, Affleck’s period piece about the Iranian hostage crisis, which shows that his first two films were no flukes. While he did not write Argo, the writing on his first two directorial efforts was strong, mature, and made for spellbinding films. It is rumored that Affleck will have some input on the screenplay for this upcoming Superman sequel. This can only be a good thing given his writing chops. He does, after all, have an Academy Award for co-writing Good Will Hunting.

And Affleck’s skill behind the camera is undeniable after three critical knockouts. In front of the camera, well, he needs to be directed by the right person. You give Affleck to John Woo or the guy who made Gigli, and you get an actor who is just filling space (in his defense, both directors have a lot of past acclaim, but have hit the skids in the last decade or two). But if you watch the performances Affleck has given under the direction of Richard Linklater, Gus Van Sant, Kevin Smith, Terrence Malick, and Affleck himself, you will see a mature and measured actor giving what is needed to every role. Now Affleck being directed by Zack Snyder may be cause for concern, but with Affleck adding to the screenplay it’s possible that Synder’s tendency for style over substance won’t deaden an already strong script.

In the end, I know of few other auteurs (and yes, Ben Affleck is an auteur with a specific voice whether the ragegasm-fueled-Internet-hatedom wants to admit it or not) who would be a palatable successor to Christopher Nolan (who was coming off Following, Memento and Insomnia when given his first “at Bat”, arguably not as respected a series of three films as Ben’s). Affleck has proven to have the maturity and the skill to pull off something amazing. Besides, this Internet rage is all much ado about nothing. We are talking about Ben Affleck portraying Batman in a Superman movie. Get a grip on your rage-boners, Internet. There are more serious things to argue over… like who should be in the Justice League movie.