Ben Affleck in 'Batman' movie: An echo of past Caped Crusader films?

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara recently stated that a movie about Batman starring Ben Affleck was moving forward. Previous reports have stated that Affleck will direct the film as well.

|
Clay Enos/Warner Bros. Entertainment/AP
Ben Affleck (l.) appears as Batman (with Henry Cavill, r.) in the movie 'Batman v Superman.'

A new “Batman” film that will star Ben Affleck is officially moving forward. 

At the ongoing 2016 CinemaCon event, in which movie studios present upcoming films to theater owners, one of the studios that has been presenting projects is Warner Bros. of “Batman v Superman.” And now Kevin Tsujihara, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros., has said during the event that a film starring Mr. Affleck as Batman will move forward. 

"I'm also excited to know that we will be working with Ben Affleck on a stand-alone Batman movie," Mr. Tsujihara said.

It had been previously reported that a “Batman” movie that would be directed by Affleck was in the works. 

Affleck has directed, among other films, the Oscar-winning 2012 movie “Argo.”

While last month’s “Batman v Superman” was critically panned, some reviewers singled out Affleck’s performance as one of the better aspects of the movie. “’Batman v Superman’ … actually features some terrific performances,” Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post wrote. “Affleck has the square jaw and resolute demeanor to convincingly channel Bruce." Meanwhile, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the character of Batman is “convincingly played by a committed Affleck.” 

If it is in fact made, a solo “Batman” film directed by and starring Affleck would be the first to feature only Batman since “The Dark Knight Rises,” the 2012 conclusion to director Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed trilogy starring Christian Bale.

How would Affleck’s “Batman” film fit in among the modern “Batman” movies, which most view as having kicked off with the 1989 “Batman” film directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson? 

The Nolan films are often remembered for their disturbing themes and gritty realism. Monitor film critic Peter Rainer wrote of the middle – and most acclaimed – entry, 2008’s “The Dark Knight,” “Even by the pitch-black standards of its genre, Chris Nolan's ‘The Dark Knight’ is dark indeed … this comic-book movie is more disturbing, and has more freakish power, than anything else I've seen all year.” 

The recent film “Batman v Superman” continued this theme – to a fault, according to some reviewers, who complained of its unremitting darkness. “At a punishing two and a half hours, it’s all very turgid and unsmilingly sober,” Ms. Hornaday wrote of the film. 

But Affleck’s directorial work has often been critically acclaimed, with his movie “The Town” nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in addition to the success of “Argo.” Perhaps his take on Batman will present dark themes in a way that is more pleasing to critics.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Ben Affleck in 'Batman' movie: An echo of past Caped Crusader films?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2016/0413/Ben-Affleck-in-Batman-movie-An-echo-of-past-Caped-Crusader-films
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe