It's been a rare moment that Ben Affleck's involvement in the DC Extended Universe hasn't seen controversy of some kind. The initial outrage from his casting as Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice subsided momentarily when his performance was one of the most positively received aspects of the movie, generating a lot of hype for the planned Ben Affleck written, directed, starred, and produced Batman stand-alone, but hype for the project was not enough to ensure smooth sailing.

The rumors started at the end of 2016 when Affleck expressed that he had no desire to direct a "mediocre" Batman movie. Many people took that as a sign that he was losing passion for the project, with whispers beginning that he wouldn't end up directing it. That sentiment was only encouraged a few weeks later when Affleck said in an interview that the solo Batman movie was "not a set thing" and that he wouldn't do it if it didn't come together as a great movie. At the same time, Affleck said the film was "good and going" and that they were still working on the script and "ahead of the curve" and "excited" about it.

Things came to a boiling point right after the release of his personal project, Live by Night, an experience that appears to have been a big eye-opener for Affleck. It was the biggest budget movie he'd ever directed, it was a movie Affleck had worked on extensively between his DCEU commitments, and because of hype for The Batman, Affleck saw the press tour for his passion project hijacked by questions in search of some sort of scoop on his DCEU involvement, leading Affleck to conclude that working on The Batman was "going to be the most pressure, the most stress I have ever experienced in my professional life." While he claimed he was more than prepared to "embrace that pressure," he became more outspoken about the obstacles he foresaw when it came to serving as both the director and lead actor, saying "Chief among the challenges of [directing] Batman, will be finding a suit that’s more comfortable."

Overall, it seems like Affleck learned a lot from this situation. Plans for him to helm his own Batman project were in the work since he came on as Batman, so his time working with Zack Snyder on Batman v Superman was a big learning experience about helming a film of that scale - it was the biggest project he'd acted in to date. Then Live by Night, the project he was juggling alongside his DCEU pressures, saw negative reviews and a major loss at the box office, and he decided something needed to change. He promised he wouldn't make a mediocre Batman movie, and he thought that might be the result if he continued to bite off more than he could chew between the writing, directing, acting, alongside his role as a producer.

Ben Affleck Batman Suit in Batcave

Soon enough, it was announced that Ben Affleck was stepping down as director of The Batman, and he issued a statement as the producer, saying he would seek a "partner in a director who will collaborate with me on this massive film." Fans wouldn't have to wait long before Matt Reeves joined the fold with a warm welcome from Affleck. During that time a rumor popped up stating Affleck had a desire to get out of his commitment to portray Batman in the DCEU, but Ben's position in the film was re-affirmed with Reeves' confirmation as director, along with the news that Reeves had negotiated for complete creative control of The Batman when he came on.

Due to his commitment on War for the Planet of the ApesReeves wasn't able to get to work on The Batman right away as he was still a number of months from the movie's release. During that time, it was also reported that the script was being re-written, a rumor that was later corroborated by Matt Reeves when he said they were "starting over"This could be for a variety of reasons, but considering he has complete creative control and negotiated a trilogy of Batman movies, it only makes sense that he'd want to move forward with his own story, regardless of how good Ben Affleck's was.

This finally brings us to just before Comic-Con this year, when yet another massive rumor was dropped, once again claiming that Affleck wouldn't be playing Batman long, this time saying the studio wanted to "gracefully" phase him out of the role. This rumor was adamantly denied by Affleck during the Hall H panel at Comic-Con, but the allegations persisted, specifically statements that Affleck's age (he is 44) and the condition of his body would soon become physical barriers to him continuing the role, and are still a point of concern for many people - even though it has absolutely no bearing on his ability to play the part.

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Ben Affleck Zack Snyder Batman v Superman set

Batman Isn't That Physically Demanding a Role

As with anyone playing the role of Batman, there's actually two characters for them to portray: Batman and Bruce Wayne. The assumption that Affleck's age could impact his ability to play the character is only related to half of that job, since Bruce Wayne is typically not a physically demanding role. He might be involved in an action scene or two, but he doesn't really have any stunts. When he is in the suit and in combat or some other action, it's either a stunt double or CGI, except for a few close-up shots of Ben's face in the suit. That's the wonder of movie magic.

This isn't because he's not fit for the role, it's because stunt doubles are a standard practice, especially when the actor is in a suit as concealing as Batman's, allowing a much more athletically conditioned performer to conduct feats most actors don't have time or energy to train for. This means the physical demands of bringing Batman to the big screen aren't on Affleck's shoulders in the same way that Robert Downey Jr. doesn't have to physically bring Iron Man to life since any of the more complicated motion is executed with CGI (and the suit is mostly motion capture to start with).

What does depend on Affleck is the voice and character of Batman and Bruce Wayne. That means stalking the boardroom at Wayne Enterprises, bantering with Alfred in the Batcave, sternly gazing at computer monitors, and providing close-ups in the batsuit to compliment stuntman/CGI performances. This is common for many aging action stars, although many movies featuring more elderly heroes of a bygone decade don't have the benefit of a mostly concealing suit.

If 65-year-old Liam Neeson, 75-year-old Harrison Ford, 71-year-old Sylvester Stallone, 70-year-old Arnold Schwarzenegger, 62-year-old Bruce Willis, 61-year-old Mel Gibson, and others are reprising franchises and/or appearing in new action movies, there's no reason Ben Affleck can't continue to play Bruce Wayne while a stunt double beats up bad-guys Dark Knight style at the age of 44. On top of that, how old is Batman in the DCEU? At 44, Affleck is actually one year younger than the version of Batman he's portraying.

The Grizzled Batman

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman

When it was announced that DC was in search of a new Batman, The Dark Knight Rises had only recently completed Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy, so Christian Bale's well-loved version of the character was still fresh in people's minds and there was some resistance to the idea that a brand new Batman would be introduced so soon. In fact, quite a few people at the time wanted to see Christian Bale carried forward into this new continuity, which would obviously be difficult for a number of reasons, given the continuity of The Dark Knight trilogy.

In order to differentiate from the wildly successful Batman of The Dark Knight, Zack Snyder decided to introduce a version of Batman we'd never seen on screen before: the grizzled veteran. We've seen Batman in his youth, in his early days as the Caped Crusader, and even close to the prime of his career several times in Batman movies, but the version of Batman we would see in Batman v Superman was planned to have had over two decades of experience fighting crime in Gotham, having faced off against many of his classic and colorful opponents, and even taken on - and lost - a sidekick or two.

Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice Robin Suit

Because of Batman's age, they were also able to focus on several different aspects of his character. He was scarred, cynical, worn out, and no longer at his physical peak, meaning he had to rely more on his detective skills and strategy than his fists. Besides the obvious similarities to The Dark Knight Returns comic book present in BvS, this also set up Batman to serve the eventual Justice League as a leader, tactician, and mentor, highlighting his best abilities since he doesn't physically hold a candle to the powers of Superman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, or Aquaman. Even in his prime, he wasn't a match for them.

The resulting Batman is actually a couple years older than Ben Affleck - another aspect totally missed in the suggestion that Affleck is too old - his hair even has gray streaks added! Alfred says he has "grown too old to die young. Not for lack of trying." He's covered in scars, hooked on painkillers, and has clearly seen better days. When it comes to his fight with Superman it's his planning and strategy that work in his favor, and he's essentially a spectator for the fight with Doomsday, only contributing his last kryptonite gas grenade when he sees the perfect opening, otherwise letting Wonder Woman and Superman deal (and take) the heavy hits.

As Ben Affleck gets older, he only becomes more appropriate for that version of the character, forcing him to take more of a leadership and mentor role with the League as we've already seen in the trailers - similar to how he's depicted in the Justice League Unlimited animated show. In fact, it opens up a realm of possibilities in Batman storytelling we've never been able to see on the big screen before, from the opportunity to feature the full Bat-Family through stories like Under the Red Hood or Battle for the Cowl to having Dick Grayson or others replace Bruce as Batman (temporarily or permanently). The DCEU is still basically in its infancy, so there's no knowing where it will go down the road, but if they ever want to go in the direction of Batman Beyond, or even take a crack at Kingdom Come - something many die-hard fans would love - an older (and aging) Batman is essential, and Ben Affleck knew that when Zack Snyder brought him on for the role.

NEXT: How Much Input Does Zack Snyder Have On Justice League’s Final Cut?

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