By Garrison Thomas
Very Smart.
Ben Affleck is a good actor and a fantastic writer/director. When he was cast as Batman in 2013 at the age of forty-one, I knew he wasn’t going to be the Caped Crusader for very long. These superhero franchises want their stars to be in five to eight films over the course of ten years. Ben Affleck was not going to get insanely ripped every six months until he was fifty. One of Hugh Jackman’s main reasons for leaving the role of Wolverine was the wear and tear he put on his body through his training regimens.
On top of that, Affleck was in a crappy franchise. His performances were pretty good but Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League were all critically reviled. Why would you put your body through the gauntlet just to be in bad films. Then came the news that he would write, direct, and star in his own solo Batman film that would come out in 2018. And we heard nothing about it until he said he was having trouble with the script. He then said he wouldn’t direct it. The film’s release date got pushed back. Matt Reeves came on as director and voiced his desire for a new actor to play Batman. We all saw it coming.
On top of that, Affleck was in a crappy franchise. His performances were pretty good but Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League were all critically reviled. Why would you put your body through the gauntlet just to be in bad films. Then came the news that he would write, direct, and star in his own solo Batman film that would come out in 2018. And we heard nothing about it until he said he was having trouble with the script. He then said he wouldn’t direct it. The film’s release date got pushed back. Matt Reeves came on as director and voiced his desire for a new actor to play Batman. We all saw it coming.
Nobody was surprised that Ben Affleck was hanging up the cowl. Everyone was probably relieved the story was official and we could all move on to the next chapter, including Ben Affleck. Audiences should be happy that Ben Affleck will get back to writing and directing his own projects because Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo are all excellent films (we won’t discuss Live By Night) and we want to see what he will do next.
If you’re going to be a lead character in these huge superhero franchises, you have to be a young hungry up-and-coming actor (there are exceptions to this rule) because the roles are physically demanding and the contracts are lengthy. Actors like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Henry Cavill all got career boosts from their respective superhero franchises. Affleck was already a household name before being cast as Batman.
This is just the latest in DC’s shakeup to their universe along with their six thousand films in development yet they have no release dates. Hopefully, the Matt Reeves-directed Batman film is good and Shazam! looks fun, right?
If you’re going to be a lead character in these huge superhero franchises, you have to be a young hungry up-and-coming actor (there are exceptions to this rule) because the roles are physically demanding and the contracts are lengthy. Actors like Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, and Henry Cavill all got career boosts from their respective superhero franchises. Affleck was already a household name before being cast as Batman.
This is just the latest in DC’s shakeup to their universe along with their six thousand films in development yet they have no release dates. Hopefully, the Matt Reeves-directed Batman film is good and Shazam! looks fun, right?