Affleck is Batman, Batman is Affleck!!!

So...we have all had a few days to calm down about the Warner Bros/DC Entertainment announcement that Argo star and director, Ben Affleck, will be the fifth actor to wear the cape and cowl in a motion picture adaptation of the Batman character. This film is being written by David S. Goyer (Dark Knight Trilogy, Man Of Steel), and directed by Zack Snyder as a sequel to this years reboot of the Superman franchise with Man of Steel. It has been said that Affleck was approached about the sequel earlier in the year, after Snyder had discussed the possibility of bringing the two characters together on screen as the next step in DC Entertainments movie adaptations. For most fans, Man Of Steel seemed a little too action driven, and not enough story and emotion. This came as a disappointment after the Nolan trilogy of Batman films that delivered a harder, more psychological edge to a character that had essentially been squandered with the last of the Burton/Schumacher movies with Batman & Robin (1997).

Fans are currently putting forward a petition online to oppose the casting, whilst others have embraced the Good Will Hunting star as the most appropriate choice for the role among actors rumoured to have been approached earlier this year (Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling etc). For me personally, it will be difficult to imagine Affleck in this part, especially as his last outing as Marvel superhero Daredevil, in the 2000 movie of the same name, was not received well critically. It has since been considered as a character very much in need of a reboot by the Marvel Studios group. 20th Century Fox who released the picture, and continue to shape and mould Marvel assets: X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Daredevil, are said to be developing many of these characters again as their predecessors were just not up to scratch. But how will Affleck fair in the plans for Warner Bros future DC movies?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck was approached during the post production stage of Snyder's Man Of Steel and has since signed a contract that will see him appear as the character in a number of movies. Kind of like the cast of Marvel's The Avengers, and Samuel L. Jackson's appearances as Nick Fury. Snyder believes that he will bring a new vision of the Batman character to these films, one that has an older more seasoned approach to crime fighting than the younger Superman in Henry Cavill. Snyder stated:

 "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."

In this movie, it has been suggested that the characters will be facing off against each other, hence the names Batman vs. Superman, and Superman vs. Batman as the apparent title for the 2015 release. For those not familiar with the The Dark Knight Returns comic (of which a line was read at comic con to announce the movie), or the Batman/Superman comics in general. The characters have fought many times, and as much as you can imagine Superman knocking out Bruce Wayne with one flick, the Dark Knight's intelligence, skill and arsenal have always helped him vest the man of steel when needed. Batman has been famously mistrusting of anyone he has direct contact with in the DC Universe, but none more than the Superman character. If indeed this is how the film will play out, it will be wonderful to finally see the two halves of these characters portrayed on screen. Many would agree that moviegoers can never truly understand the nature of either character without seeing them together, reacting off of one another, as they do in the comics.

If indeed Affleck is able to rid himself of the evils that plagued Kilmer and Clooney, being that when you watched the 90s Batman films, you were watching the actor in the suit and not the character. Whilst taking note of the dark brooding voice and presence that Christian Bale brought to Bruce Wayne in the Dark Knight Trilogy, he may indeed follow in the footsteps of actors like Michael Keaton and Heath Ledger. Ledger who surprised and inspired audiences with an incredible performance of one of DC's most infamous characters The Joker, and Keaton who set the tone for Batman on screen, both having been ridiculed and slated in a similar way to what we are witnessing with Affleck at this time. For now, we will have to wait to see how the picture develops, and trust that Snyder knows exactly what he is doing with this film. Warner Bros have notably cocked up franchises in the past, and should be careful of how they now approach characters that are so well loved by fans. They really need to take a note of the guys over at Marvel, a smaller studio who have been able to focus their skill in making films that the fans will love, and the public will adore.

In further news, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, Total Recall) is said to be the front runner for Lex Luthor in the 2015 release. Despite rumours and teases of Mark Strong taking on the role, it has been widely suggested that Cranston will be confirmed, and that Strong would not be a valid choice considering his appearance as Sinestro in Green Lantern (2011). As the character could appear again when Lantern is re-visited later on, we may have to say goodbye to the idea of Strong appearing as the evil genius who's life pursuit is to destroy the Kryptonian. Either way, these veteran stars will bring an incredible presence to the type of characters they have been linked to. I would love to see Strong return as Sinestro in a hopefully better sequel to the failure that was Green Lantern, and think that Luthor will be a great counter balance to the heroes squaring off in this film. After all, they have to stop fighting for some reason, and I think we can all hope that it won't be over Amy Adams' Lois Lane.