So no doubt by now you've all heard the news that Zach Snyder has cast Ben Affleck to play Bruce Wayne, better known as Batman, in the sequel to his Superman reboot "Man of Steel." Since everyone else in the world has already mouthed off about it, I figured I'd throw my two cents in the ring as well.
So my initial thought, and my main overarching opinion, is this:
For the love of Cake, "Dark Knight Rises" is barely a year old and you're going to reboot Batman AGAIN?!? Leave it the hell alone for a decade! Give it some space before you throw it all out again in favor of something new! Christbananas, this is worse than Spider-Man! I was getting upset over five years, but ONE YEAR?! Okay, probably two or three by the time it's finished BUT STILL!!!!!!!
That being said...
If the timeframe wasn't so wonky, I would actually be pleasantly intrigued by this casting choice.
First of all, I admit that I sadly missed "Man of Steel" in its initial run, and I still haven't seen the film. Therefore, I can't comment on its quality (plus I'm not Supes' biggest fan, so it probably wouldn't have blown me away, but it looked all right at least). But anyway....
It's no secret that I love the film version of Daredevil and think it has an unfair rap. Well, Ben Affleck was an awesome Daredevil (the costume notwithstanding). That would normally be a point against him here, since I've always had problems when actors switch superheroes. Such as when The Human Torch suddenly became Captain America, or when Deadpool switched sides to become Green Lantern. But then again, in both those cases the actors took to their new roles with the same aplomb as before, and I was pleasantly surprised.
I honestly think Affleck can pull it off. He probably couldn't have ten years ago when he made Daredevil, since there's a maturity to Batman that belies his age and while Affleck was a perfect Matt Murdock, he wasn't quite there for Bruce Wayne. But nowadays? With the right script and direction, I can honestly see it.
Plus, I mean, this is going to be Batman vs. Superman. How long have we waited for this? It almost doesn't matter who dons the capes.
Except of course for the fact that REALLY?! ONLY ONE YEAR AFTER "RISES"?!?!?!?!
Meh. I don't really mind it when studios reboot things, especially in situations like this (where it was eminently clear Nolan and Bale weren't going to return).
ReplyDeleteMy concern with the film is more that Snyder is apparently consulting Frank Miller for the story, which can only lead to bad things. And probably sexist things as well.
I don't mind reboots if enough time has passed, but come on, let it breathe a while.
DeleteAnd though I'll be the first to admit that Miller's work has gone downhill lately, to say "only bad things" can come is a little disingenuous. He's done a lot of great stuff.
I revisited a lot of Miller's early work lately and found most of it to be indulgent, misogynist, and frankly disgusting on a lot of levels. So while my earlier remark was slightly tongue in cheek, based on his career as a whole I find very little to be optimistic about in terms of him consulting on a Batman film.
DeleteSeeing as how he did create two of the most influential Batman stories of the 80s, it seems apropos.
DeleteI think his influence is actually fairly overstated when it comes to Batman- a large part of our modern conception actually comes from the Burton films, which in turn take their influence from Alan Moore's Killing Joke. Miller of course has some influence (Batman Begins is 1/2 a Year One adaptation) but I think a lot of what people credit him for is actually somewhat undeserved.
DeleteUnfortunately, though, he *was* responsible for the trend in making everything dark and gritty, leading to the unfortunate 90s and a lot of the tendencies on display in "Man of Steel". Which is another reason I'm not really looking forward to his contributions to a future film.
Don't forget Dark Knight Returns.
DeleteHonestly, I don't think that one is as gamechanging as it's often credited being. 'Cause the main innovation is "grimdark Batman", which was already part and parcel to what Batman and comics in general were becoming by that point. Miller just broke it more out to the mainstream.
DeleteBut just comparing it to Year One and it's interesting to note how much of the modern mythos was culled from a lot of Year One, and how the only real thing to come out of DKR is angsty Batman.
It's still a classic story and inspired much that came after, for good or ill.
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