The Big Picture: Batfleck

[Clovus]

The first time I heard agbout Afleck as Batman, I immediately thought, "I don't know. You really need someone with gravitas, who can pull off that grim-dark noir feeling. Not some goofball comedy actor. You know, you need someone like Michael Keaton."

I mean, is anyone else here old enough to remember how weird it was when it was announced that Keaton was playing Batman and Jack Nicholson was playing Joker?

 

[impocalyptic]

I'm with Bob on this one. Heath Ledger was cursed once they announced he would be the joker. After seeing him nail the part so damn perfectly, I have hope for any actor wishing to play a superhero. Affleck survived Gigli, Daredevil, Kevin Smith, and Bennifer. Give him a shot.

 

[CrimsonTemplar]

Some very solid points. I like Ben Affleck (Argo was amazingly good). I think e dry one is hung up on Daredevil.

 

[MonkeyPunch]

Totally not in to a movie with Batman and Superman. I liked that the last three films had a more realistic slant on things.
And to be fair even after this video I'm still not really optimistic on Affleck playing Batman. Yeah he's a decent actor and all the things Bob talked up about him might be right, but I just can't imagine him as Batman and for me he totally didn't work in Dare Devil (totally besides the film itself being terrible).
Just because a character has pedigree and cred. doesn't mean he's a shoe-horn fit for a roll.
And another thing. People keep defending the Affleck choice with the chin... really? Who gives a toss?
Oh, he's white and has a prominent chin? Oh now I'm down with the choice!
Bale was an excellent Batman and he didn't really match the physical appearance of the comic version Batman.

So this video didn't convince me otherwise either.
Affleck just might, but again strongly doubt it as I'm already put off by a Superman vs Batman movie in general. So he'll have to be stellar to sway me.

I mean, is anyone else here old enough to remember how weird it was when it was announced that Keaton was playing Batman and Jack Nicholson was playing Joker?

I unfortunately am and I can say that I was excited back then to see Nicholson as the Joker and couldn't see Keaton as a Batman.
I still don't think Keaton worked well at all as Batman and think Nicholson was not too bad.

 

[brazuca]

I'm with Bob on this one. Heath Ledger was cursed once they announced he would be the joker. After seeing him nail the part so damn perfectly, I have hope for any actor wishing to play a superhero. Affleck survived Gigli, Daredevil, Kevin Smith, and Bennifer. Give him a shot.

Count me in that too. Remember also how some fans disliked Daniel Craig as the new James Bond? Also Bob is spot on. A movie premisse should not be about two heroes fighting. It is still too early, but who knows Ben Affleck can become the next big thing for his acting and writing and directing DC Universe.

Also Bob you should mention that WB lost Legendary studios. Things are not going to be great for DC characters movies.

 

[Rawbeard]

It would be nice if Batfleck would take on Lex Luthers like stance in the next movie. He sees an all powerful alien and the destruction it created and now is out to stop or contain it.

 

[SnakeoilSage]

Regardless of Affleck's resume, my problem is with DC's weak-wristed handling of their own universe. They're so terrified that people are going to hate their characters that they push out these apologetic versions. Batman is more whiny than intense, barely puts on the costume and the Nolan movies are more about NOT being Batman than being Batman. Green Lantern washed out any hint of the mythology's epic feel to make a milquetoast Iron Man. Wonder Woman isn't even going to be made because apparently she only stands for feminism these days and that's a dirty word on the internet. Superman sells out his own moral code just so he doesn't become the larger-than-life good guy he's supposed to be. And DC keeps scratching their heads when--surprise, surprise--people hate them.

Have you seen the reboot for Lobo? Sweet friggin' Christmas that's lame.

 

[TwiZtah]

Fuck yes, finally, someone criticizes Batman!

He's not a hero, he knows the villains will get out of Arkham, therefore he is also indirectly responsible for the deaths of thousands. And the only reason he has been able to survive this long is Plot armor the mass of jupiter and Deus Ex Machina transcending god. Because yeah, taking a punch by Superman right in the face kills you, it kills you so bad because the energy released is comparative to many many nuclear bombs. But hey, because Batman.

 

[Deep Thought]

Is it just me or is Moviebob fed up with Batman in general? He really seemed to dislike the character in the video, or at least the modern "grim and gritty" interpretation of him. Regardless, I agree with his point that Zack Synder is the far more problematic element then Ben Affleck.

 

[Ickabod]

Can Matt Damon be Robin?

 

[Racecarlock]

I can't help but feel that youngblood is going to get a movie at some point.

 

[cookyy2k]

Clearly Adam West was the best batman, that's what we need to go back to with the shark repellent bat-spray.

 

[hexFrank202]

Loved this one--I'm always a little bugged by how short and small these Big Pictures are; how he's forced to rush them out and make them so brief, and doesn't have the volume of juicy commentary that I wish I could get. But here he did a really good job; it was like three Big Pictures in one.

 

[KeyMaster45]

I think Afleck will make a great Bruce Wayne, but Batman I'm having a little trouble seeing.

 

[Vivvav]

"Modern comics' fixation of this particular version of this particular character embodying entitlement and vengeance by proxy, finding a way to purchase victory over a character that's supposed to embody hope and optimism is emblematic of just about everything that went wrong with modern comics."

Thank you, Bob!

 

[RedDeadFred]

Although I didn't have the same problems as Bob with TDKR, I agree that this Batman will be a welcome change and Afleck might even do it better than Bale. However, having not read the comics, I don't really see why he'd be versing Superman...

 

[Ukomba]

Wow you went off on a left wing tangent there towards the end.


I have no problem with Aflek being the new Batman. Christian Bale just wouldn't have worked, Christopher Nolans world is just too real work into a superhero combined universe (If he'd made the Lazarus Pits real, it might have worked). That and the story has a pretty definitive ending. My main problem is with Superman. The new one just made too much of a mess to work as a foundation of a Marvel style Justice League. I don't even know what the source of this new Supermans powers are (is it the gravity, is it the air, the food, the sun, hope? I don't know) or what his weakness is if one even exists. The morals made no sense, Supermans personality seemed wrong, his secret identity is already blown, ext ext ext. The movie is an in cohesive pile of mush and it's supposed to be the corner stone?

Adding batman isn't going to help. It's like making the 2003 Hulk movie the corner stone of the avengers, making direct sequel to and trying to fix the issues by adding Iron Man rather than them making the first Iron Man movie the corner stone. They really just need to drop this superman movie in the Green Lantern bin, don't make it part of the Justice League continuity and start again with a different founder. If you don't want Batman again, do Wonder Woman or the Flash, then a re-re-reboot of superman, and batman, and maybe Green Lantern and more. They should all be stand alones with no big crossovers. Once you have 3 or 4 properties established on their own footings (keeping a bigger world in mind and referenced) then you can do crossovers and the big Justice league movie.

 

[Yojoo]

I'm ready for Affleck to pleasantly surprise everyone. He clearly has acting skills, and as everyone points out, it's not like Heath Ledger was anybody's first pick for Joker. But...

I don't particularly care who plays Batman, I'm disappointed I won't be getting a new film directed by Ben Affleck because of this. The man's 3/3 and I was really looking forward to his next one.

This. Affleck strikes me as a much better director than actor. By my understanding he was confirmed to direct the new adaptation of Stephen King's The Stand, which I was really looking forward to, but now has dropped that project to go be Batman. I'd rather see more of him behind the camera than in front of it, but if the DC universe takes off at anywhere near the level that Marvel's movies have, he'll be playing Batman for the next decade.

Though, if they let him direct any piece of this project as Bob mentioned, I'll feel a lot better about it.

 

[Stabby Joe]

Finally. While I have disagreed plenty of times in the past with Bob over many topics, I am in agreement in more ways than just Ben Affleck, such as the Dark Knight Returns. My problem is given the reveal quote they used, you know this is going to be something of a...

BATMAN! FUCK YEAH!

...then if they go Justice League make him in charge just because the character is popular.

I'm no doubt more of a DC guy than Marvel but Marvel is more than pounding DC into the dirt with their live-action movies and given the mainstream's view of these characters is shaped by movies most of all, even if you don't like that, makes me sad for all these DC greats.

I really want a Wonder Woman film but I don't trust anyone to make it. DC's mishandling and the fact female leads are rarely done, let alone done well. It would be terrible within this decade, sadly.

 

[PunkRex]

Damn, that last part was a sledge hammer to my brain nads, Batmans abit of a dick.