While the DC Extended Universe has had its fair share of critics thus far, the general consensus has been that Warner Brothers hit a home run with their casting of Ben Affleck as an aged Batman. Affleck's performance in the polarizing Batman v Superman has been consistently highlighted as one of the bright spots in an otherwise flawed film. Batman will next appear in 2017's Justice League, but subsequently, will return in a solo film written and directed by Ben Affleck.
Affleck's solo film, tentatively titled The Batman, is surrounded by considerable buzz. Not only will the film be helmed by Affleck, whose first three directorial efforts — Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo — were all universally praised, but the project will be co-written by comic legend, Geoff Johns. Throw in an antagonist — Deathstroke (played by Joe Manganiello) — who has not yet appeared in a Batman film, and the excitement is understandably palpable. While recent reports have suggested The Batman will be released sometime in 2018, Affleck has continuously noted that he will not be rushed.
In a recent interview with EW (via Comic Book), as part of the magazine's Entertainer of the Year coverage, Affleck affirmed his desire to a make a great Batman film, stating:
"I'm not going to write and direct anything that I don't think is good enough to be made. I'm definitely going to make sure I have something that is special—there's not enough money in the world to make a mediocre version of Batman worth it."
Ben Affleck is not the only one that loves his superhero status. The actor also discussed with EW how his kids feel that their father is the Dark Knight. "They love it," Affleck explained. "My son especially. He's going to be 5, and he's in full superhero geek mode. He still sort of thinks I might really be Batman. I know he'll realize eventually I have feet of clay, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts."
Affleck's comments regarding not making a "mediocre" Batman film are not all that surprising. The actor has consistently made similar statements when discussing the script's status. Batman is arguably the most popular comic book hero ever, and while any film starring the character is likely to be a smash hit, a terrible film could derail the future of that incarnation. Just look at Batman & Robin, which was never intended to be the last film in the Schumacher series of Batman films.
Generally considered one of the worst comic book adaptations in cinematic history, Batman & Robin's laughable performance led to the eventual reboot of the character in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. While there are likely few fans who believe Ben Affleck would ever create a Batman film as universally despised, it is still nice to know the director/writer is taking his time in an effort to do the world's greatest detective justice.
Source: EW (via Comic Book)
