If you were among those surprised to hear Ben Affleck had been cast as the next big screen Batman, you’re not alone.
The actor himself was caught pretty off guard, too.
“My first reaction was, ‘Are you sure?'” the newly single star told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Friday. “At the time I was 40, 41, and had just finished ‘Argo,’ and I felt like, ‘This seems like a strange way to get to Batman.'”
READ: ‘Batman v Superman’: See Ben Affleck’s Batsuit
“Strange” is one way to put it, although many fans offered more colorful terms when news broke in August that the Oscar winner would don the Dark Knight’s iconic cape and cowl.
I’ve just seen Christian Bale going to Affleck’s apartment with some Huey Lewis records and an axe.
— THE STUDIO EXEC (@studioexec1) August 23, 2013
Casting Ben Affleck as Batman sounds like something The Joker would do to create a distraction at the nerd bank.
— Comedy Central (@ComedyCentral) August 23, 2013
Spend ten years working your way back into everyone’s good graces. Win an Oscar. Then you get cast as Batman, and BAM! You’re Gigli again.
— Tim Carvell (@timcarvell) August 23, 2013
Since then, Ben’s already defied the worst predictions, having headlined the critical and commercial smash “Gone Girl” in October. However, there’s plenty of time for his momentum to change. With an extended Justice League platform unfolding for Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment between now and 2019, Ben admitted he needed some persuading before accepting such a demanding role.
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“Zack [Snyder] convinced me,” he told EW, explaining that the director’s vision for the superhero sounded like something he could work with. Snyder’s films, he said, will neither shy away from the character’s diminishing youth nor paint him as a feeble has-been, and strive to maintain the brooding charisma that makes Batman, well, Batman. In addition, Bruce Wayne’s struggle to bridge the gap between his two identities will also be a major factor in bringing the lore up to date.
“He really keeps up the image of the playboy, actively,” Ben said. “So you have more of a dichotomy which I thought was really fun, and a little sad, like the aging playboy.”
Bruce Wayne isn’t the only one navigating a dual existence. Ben added why he thinks the venture could potentially benefit his own behind-the-scenes pursuits.
“I thought if I was going to direct a movie like this, which I would like to do at some point, I need to have something of a refresher course of how these movies are done,” he said, indirectly referencing talks that he’s already in line to helm a stand-alone flick in DC’s revamped franchise.
READ: ‘Batman v Superman’ Cast Headed To Comic-Con
As for the continued fan reaction, Ben will get a major dose in person when he appears alongside his “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” co-stars before San Diego’s Comic-Con crowd on July 11.
The film is slated for release on March 25, 2016.
— Erin Biglow
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