Caffeinated Clint
Ben Affleck’s anointment as Batman in “Man of Steel 2” definitely seems to have gotten a few worked up.
And see, despite your twitterings, you punks have already got the petitions out to see that Ben Affleck be presented with a “Stop, turn around. Wrong Way. Go Back” Sign when he drives into Gotham City.
Are you the same lot that haven’t yet caught “The Town” or “Argo”, and only know Ben as the hapless chap forced to rub coconut oil on JLo’s bronzed butt back in the early noughties?
Do you still see him as the box-office poison the cinema forecasters pinned him with post-“Daredevil”, “Gigli”, “Jersey Girl” and “Boiler Room”?
If so, back away from the keyboard. You have no idea what you’re talking about. Remove your balls from the motherboard. Affleck has more than made up for his early career blemishes, and if you’d have seen the terrific work he’d done in films like “Argo” and “The Town”, you’d know he’s more than capable of doing a good Batman. Now I don’t say that because he’s got a good look for the part or has proved he can actually act (as opposed to read lines from piece of cardboard being held up by Kevin Smith), but because he’s not in the business of doing shit anymore. This is a man that knows he’s damn lucky to have snagged a second go-around in Hollywood, and he’s definitely not wanting to lose the credibility and esteemed reputation he’s now snared himself by doing something that’s going to send him straight back down to “Phantoms” territory. Affleck has passed on so many opportuniies in the past couple of years – sure, most of them directing offers but that doesn’t make a difference – mainly because he didn’t feel he could bring something to that particular film or because he could only wanted to get involved with projects he’s truly passionate about. He obviously believes he can bring something to Batman, if he’s agreed to do it. He’s an actor that no longer does anything he’s not completely convinced he can pull off. I truly believe, especially considering his skills as a storyteller and filmmaker, that he will make this movie. By hiring Ben Affleck to play Batman, Warner Bros haven’t just nabbed themselves someone to fill the black suit, they’ve gotten themselves a guy that will do whatever he can do – whether it be ghost-directing sequences, voicing his opinion as to what’s working and what’s not, and making everyone step up their game – to make sure the movie turns out very solid. His recent track record isn’t something he wants tarnished, and he’ll be determined to see the gold emboss doesn’t ware.
I’m sure even Affleck knows that “Man of Steel” has many problems as a movie, and I’m guessing Warner Bros are also aware that the film could’ve turned out better and that’s probably the reason why they’ve brought in a professional on the sequel – someone that can be there, on most days, to make sure everything’s coming together beautifully. As I said, you aren’t just hiring an actor now when you hire Ben Affleck, you’re hiring a storyteller, a filmmaker, a man with an eye for detail, a man who – through his own films – pushes his cast to the limits and gets the best performances out of them as possible, and a guy with two more Academy Awards than you.
If all else fails, I guess you can hire me for “Man of Steel 3 : Black Dude back in the Crystal House”? Something has Moviehole’s Brooke believing I’m a good candidate for the job. One person suggests it’s got something to do with the fact that I can arch my eyebrows to make it look like the bat-symbol ; I like to believe it’s the fact I could fill out the cod-piece.
In all seriousness, I think Warner Bros have chosen well.
And so does Joss Whedon, the man behind superhero rival project “The Avengers” – the sequel of which is due the same year as “Man of Steel 2”.
“Affleck’ll crush it. He’s got the chops, he’s got the chin — just needs the material. Affleck & Cavill toe to toe — I’m in”.
As a result of his newly-acquired crime-fighting gig, Affleck has had to drop out of a project – the feature film version of Stephen King’s “The Stand”. Instead, Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) is directing. The filmmaker will also re-write the script.
