Ben Affleck To Team With DC’s Geoff Johns On Standalone ‘Batman’ Film - Part 1

[Doctor Octopus]

I am ok with delay of Batman movie if it mean they work hard on it and get it right. Don't want another bad film like BvS.

 

[dhandler01]

Pretty much. Not to mention all those "should that day come" and "it's gonna be the most stressful time of my entire life". Well, you're totally gonna make it even more stressful by saying all this stuff.

Either these constant remarks about how it's not ready to go into production is indeed the message to WB to back off, or he's getting ready to jump the ship. Because it's not what you say to fans if you want to hype the film or calm everyone down.

Or it means it isnt ready. Jesus you are basically ignoring the actual words he says hoping there is deeper meaning. There isnt. he isnt telling WB to back off and he isnt jumping ship...he will make the movie when it is ready.

You all need to go outside and get away from this...you cant see the forest from the trees.

 

[TheVileOne]

You don't understand, apparently. Let me try to explain this again. The screenwriting credit is Chris Terrio and David Goyer, with an "and" because Terrio did the most recent rewrite independent of Goyer. Goyer wrote the script on which Terrio's screenplay is based.

Terrio did a page-one rewrite, meaning he started over and wrote the script himself. Goyer is credited because Terrio's script is based on Goyers, even though it's also an independent writing by Terrio. The WGA decision is influenced by many things, and discussions take place about attribution.

But there is no denying that WB hired Terrio to do a page-one rewrite, writing his own script based on Goyer's script. They originally outright said "Script by Terrio, story by Goyer, based on Goyer previous script." The eventual screen credit doesn't change the actual nature of the way the script was written.

I do completely understand, except your previous post made it sound like Goyer didn't get a screenwriting credit at all, which he did. The way you are phrasing it makes it sound like Goyer didn't really do much at all to earn a screenwriting credit over simply a story by credit, yet the WGA still saw fit to credit him as a co-screenwriter for the film.

As for your first question, since the film wasn't a disaster, you must've meant Terrio is responsible for how GREAT the screenplay was, and indeed it's a great piece of writing regardless of being misunderstood and grossly underappreciated.

To each their own. What I was referring to beforehand is there were discussions here before the movie was released about who the "real" writer of the story was for the film, and the Batman v Superman posters were playing it off as it being Chris Terrio and David Goyer really had nothing to do with it because a lot of fans saw Goyer as a source of the problems for Man of Steel. So getting the Academy Award writer to replace him obviously would be a blessing in disguise for this film. Understandably, there are fans such as yourself who feel that way. But for others, Terrio being the so-called sole writer was not such a blessing in disguise.

Regardless, the WGA obviously saw it that Goyer still made significant contributions to the writing of the film, hence his co-screenwriting credit over a story by credit.

A more fitting example would be Joss Whedon and Zak Penn for Avengers, as Whedon was given sole screenwriting credit, and Zak Penn only received a story credit for his earlier drafts. Whedon did a complete rewrite on the film, only keeping some basic outline and bullet points.

 

[dhandler01]

You can choose to believe what you wish. You can, as most folks do, prefer to believe what conforms more to your existing feelings anyway, or you can believe what conforms to general fan fear about these things whether that fear is what they prefer to be true or not, or you can step back and look at the evidence and ask which version of things seems more reasonable, more careful, and more likely at this time. Next week or next month or this summer, will people start saying the film is bad or whatever? Who knows? I don't, and I won't pretend to know. But I'll report what I can back up with sourcing and what I believe to be true, and will refrain from rumor-mongering. I take my reputation seriously, and work hard to get you fans correct information. I'd rather not run a story at all, or run it late after someone else gets the scoop, than run it before I feel confident in the information, plain and simple.

Your input is greatly appreciated. Some people just need to believe that the absence of information means the world is ending so if anything negative comes around it is proof whether there is any substance or not.

 

[wehofilmfan]

Seriously Affleck... stop giving interviews about this.

Now he's saying to USA Today that he's not sure about it again, despite what he said on Kimmel:

http://batman-news.com/2017/01/12/ben-affleck-honest-hesitant-make-batman/

"That’s why I am not going to do it, unless I really feel confident about it.”

These are NOT the words of a man who's definitely about to embark on a huge tentpole movie as director.

...also, it's not like pressure on film makers doing superhero movies is anything new. Why's he being such a ***** about it? **** or get off the pot, man. It's a superhero flick, not Schindler's List 2.

That's NOT saying "he's not sure about it." People are pretty constantly misstating what he says and the clear meaning of what he says.

He has said consistently, for months, that (a) he's working on a script, (b) he plans to direct it, (c) he will not rush because he wants the script to be as great as possible, and (d) that he isn't going to make any movie he doesn't think will be great. How on earth are people still managing to get confused about this? When someone says "I'm not doing something unless I can do it great" alongside saying "I'm writing it and plan to do it," why is it so hard to grasp the point that he's saying he's taking his time and that when he does it, it's going to be great? He explained in detail that this is what he means, and that people need to stop misinterpreting and mischaracterizing what he says. Yet not only the press but fans themselves continue to overreact and misstate everything he says.

I'll tell you this: if fans want to really, really make sure Affleck just decides it's NOT worth making this movie, then by all means they should continue to frustrate him and anger him by perpetuating exactly the very thing he has said is bothering him about it -- refusing to take his words seriously, mischaracterizing them, and refusing to just be patient and give him breathing room so he can do precisely what he's been telling us he's trying to do.

Stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks into a reason to wring hands and be fearful, take "yes" for an answer, and then accept that the guy is exhausted and stressed out and needs a break so he can come back energized again and do his work. If down the road things don't work out for whatever reason -- including maybe fans refusing to give him a break -- then that will be the time to react accordingly. NOT when he's saying "yes I'm directing it, just give me time to finish the script so it's good enough, that's all I've been asking you to do!"

 

[dhandler01]

That's NOT saying "he's not sure about it." People are pretty constantly misstating what he says and the clear meaning of what he says.

He has said consistently, for months, that (a) he's working on a script, (b) he plans to direct it, (c) he will not rush because he wants the script to be as great as possible, and (d) that he isn't going to make any movie he doesn't think will be great. How on earth are people still managing to get confused about this? When someone says "I'm not doing something unless I can do it great" alongside saying "I'm writing it and plan to do it," why is it so hard to grasp the point that he's saying he's taking his time and that when he does it, it's going to be great? He explained in detail that this is what he means, and that people need to stop misinterpreting and mischaracterizing what he says. Yet not only the press but fans themselves continue to overreact and misstate everything he says.

I'll tell you this: if fans want to really, really make sure Affleck just decides it's NOT worth making this movie, then by all means they should continue to frustrate him and anger him by perpetuating exactly the very thing he has said is bothering him about it -- refusing to take his words seriously, mischaracterizing them, and refusing to just be patient and give him breathing room so he can do precisely what he's been telling us he's trying to do.

Stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks into a reason to wring hands and be fearful, take "yes" for an answer, and then accept that the guy is exhausted and stressed out and needs a break so he can come back energized again and do his work. If down the road things don't work out for whatever reason -- including maybe fans refusing to give him a break -- then that will be the time to react accordingly. NOT when he's saying "yes I'm directing it, just give me time to finish the script so it's good enough, that's all I've been asking you to do!"

Nailed it!

 

[sweetre15]

That's NOT saying "he's not sure about it." People are pretty constantly misstating what he says and the clear meaning of what he says.

He has said consistently, for months, that (a) he's working on a script, (b) he plans to direct it, (c) he will not rush because he wants the script to be as great as possible, and (d) that he isn't going to make any movie he doesn't think will be great. How on earth are people still managing to get confused about this? When someone says "I'm not doing something unless I can do it great" alongside saying "I'm writing it and plan to do it," why is it so hard to grasp the point that he's saying he's taking his time and that when he does it, it's going to be great? He explained in detail that this is what he means, and that people need to stop misinterpreting and mischaracterizing what he says. Yet not only the press but fans themselves continue to overreact and misstate everything he says.

I'll tell you this: if fans want to really, really make sure Affleck just decides it's NOT worth making this movie, then by all means they should continue to frustrate him and anger him by perpetuating exactly the very thing he has said is bothering him about it -- refusing to take his words seriously, mischaracterizing them, and refusing to just be patient and give him breathing room so he can do precisely what he's been telling us he's trying to do.

Stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks into a reason to wring hands and be fearful, take "yes" for an answer, and then accept that the guy is exhausted and stressed out and needs a break so he can come back energized again and do his work. If down the road things don't work out for whatever reason -- including maybe fans refusing to give him a break -- then that will be the time to react accordingly. NOT when he's saying "yes I'm directing it, just give me time to finish the script so it's good enough, that's all I've been asking you to do!"

: : : : : :

 

[wehofilmfan]

I do completely understand, except your previous post made it sound like Goyer didn't get a screenwriting credit at all, which he did. The way you are phrasing it makes it sound like Goyer didn't really do much at all to earn a screenwriting credit over simply a story by credit, yet the WGA still saw fit to credit him as a co-screenwriter for the film.

To each their own. What I was referring to beforehand is there were discussions here before the movie was released about who the "real" writer of the story was for the film, and the Batman v Superman posters were playing it off as it being Chris Terrio and David Goyer really had nothing to do with it because a lot of fans saw Goyer as a source of the problems for Man of Steel. So getting the Academy Award writer to replace him obviously would be a blessing in disguise for this film. Understandably, there are fans such as yourself who feel that way. But for others, Terrio being the so-called sole writer was not such a blessing in disguise.

Regardless, the WGA obviously saw it that Goyer still made significant contributions to the writing of the film, hence his co-screenwriting credit over a story by credit.

A more fitting example would be Joss Whedon and Zak Penn for Avengers, as Whedon was given sole screenwriting credit, and Zak Penn only received a story credit for his earlier drafts. Whedon did a complete rewrite on the film, only keeping some basic outline and bullet points.

No, I never remotely said Goyer didn't do much. You maybe totally misread it that way, but what I said is that Terrio did a page-one rewrite based on Goyer's own script, which pretty clearly notes Goyer literally wrote an entire script. If you think that's equivalent to not doing much, then you just have an odd definition of the words involved.

The guild credit on it doesn't change the fact of how it was written. The final script was by Terrio, based on Goyer's script as the guide for the story. Goyer didn't write into Terrio's script, and Terrio didn't write into Goyer's script. That's the facts of how it happened. There's not really a point to debating those factual points, anyway. My original comments about all of this were about the nature of who was really responsible for the final screenplay, and in that regard Terrio did a page-one rewrite, precisely as WB announced and continued to explain all during production.

 

[Doctor Octopus]

Your input is greatly appreciated. Some people just need to believe that the absence of information means the world is ending so if anything negative comes around it is proof whether there is any substance or not.

It easy to believe negative things about Dceu because their movies so bad so far and a lot of problems are from studio interfering.

 

[Pennywise]

Man, Affleck sure can confuse with his words sometimes.

 

[TheVileOne]

That's NOT saying "he's not sure about it." People are pretty constantly misstating what he says and the clear meaning of what he says.

He has said consistently, for months, that (a) he's working on a script, (b) he plans to direct it, (c) he will not rush because he wants the script to be as great as possible, and (d) that he isn't going to make any movie he doesn't think will be great. How on earth are people still managing to get confused about this? When someone says "I'm not doing something unless I can do it great" alongside saying "I'm writing it and plan to do it," why is it so hard to grasp the point that he's saying he's taking his time and that when he does it, it's going to be great? He explained in detail that this is what he means, and that people need to stop misinterpreting and mischaracterizing what he says. Yet not only the press but fans themselves continue to overreact and misstate everything he says.

I'll tell you this: if fans want to really, really make sure Affleck just decides it's NOT worth making this movie, then by all means they should continue to frustrate him and anger him by perpetuating exactly the very thing he has said is bothering him about it -- refusing to take his words seriously, mischaracterizing them, and refusing to just be patient and give him breathing room so he can do precisely what he's been telling us he's trying to do.

Stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks into a reason to wring hands and be fearful, take "yes" for an answer, and then accept that the guy is exhausted and stressed out and needs a break so he can come back energized again and do his work. If down the road things don't work out for whatever reason -- including maybe fans refusing to give him a break -- then that will be the time to react accordingly. NOT when he's saying "yes I'm directing it, just give me time to finish the script so it's good enough, that's all I've been asking you to do!"

On one hand, I see what you are getting at. But on the other hand, it amounts to "fans better leave Ben Affleck alone or he really will quit!" This is a discussion board, and all this is getting put out there publicly. We are not the ones asking Affleck these questions. He's putting his answers out there publicly, and some of them seem like he's sending mixed signals. Jett with Batman on Film is talking about Justice League having problems. Collider's Steven Weintraub tweeted out he's less sure about Affleck directing the film.

If Ben Affleck is getting frustrated with how fans aren't leaving him alone on this, there's good reason for that. Batman v Superman was a polarizing project. Him spearheading a solo-Batman remake is seen as a way to potentially salvage the whole DCEU. Batman is a cultural, global icon, and he's one of the most popular characters on the planet. As such, people in general are a little more interested in the future of that character as it pertains to film than Live By Night, which has come and gone.

People don't really have to stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks at all. The movie's still in pre-production and a lot can still change at this point. I'm not really sure how what you are saying people shouldn't do is any different from your article this week. You wrote the following in your report:

Finally, regarding Affleck's plans to direct the film, my report today, unfortunately, can't be the big surprise confidence-booster it was intended to be, since Affleck went on Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night and revealed that he will direct The Batman. But yes, as you know already know, Affleck is indeed still in the director's chair. Of course, it's always possible a director on a project not yet in production could change their minds -- and admittedly, the overall issue in the project's delay includes workload and stressors that conceivably could come to bear on whether Affleck hypothetically decides to focus on the writing and acting and editing, while letting someone else lead as director with Affleck himself providing heavy assistance and feedback. That said, however, there are no signs of that happening, and Affleck firmly stated he will direct The Batman, but to please just stop asking and give him time to get finished. Let's take him at his word and (finally) respect his request to be allowed to do what he needs to do.

No one's really disrespecting his request. It's not like fans are in his office knocking on his door everyday. If he's feeling pressured...I mean...look, that's what he signed up for. Being the new Batman for a new movie franchise means you take a lot of this on your shoulders. It's risky. You have to deal with so much in terms of expectation. It took years for Ben Affleck to rebuild his career and establish himself as a legitimate actor and filmmaker again. There was a point years ago where he said he'd never do another comic book movie. What he went through with Daredevil was the cause of that. Now, it seems like he's going through it all over again with Batman. I understand that having that weight and dealing with the expectations of fans and audiences who can be very fickle and turn on you in a second. Yeah that sucks. But Ben Affleck could've said no. He could've said no to Batman and just continue doing the passion projects and prestige pictures like Gone Girl, and he probably would've had a much more pleasant ride. Instead, he signed up to do another movie franchise and play a comic book hero again. So, after everything he went through and endured with Daredevil, after his movie career went through a gigantic slump that he had to fight and claw his way out of, he was at a point where he never needed to do a movie like Batman again. He said he wouldn't do this again. And yet, he willingly signed up for it. That's on him.

 

[Bruce Malone]

Affleck does want to do the film I believe but the question is will WB accommodate his time-frame to do it?

It seems like they have a firm date in mind and Ben is not committed to that date.

 

[jmc]

Maybe Affleck just shouldn't answer anymore questions about it.

 

[dhandler01]

Maybe Affleck just shouldn't answer anymore questions about it.

Why if he did that the same people would say "his not answering speaks volumes! Obviously he is having second thoughts..."

Hell the answering he is giving is a stock answer anyways...people just choose to look for hidden meanings behind it because they want to believe there is more to every story than there actually. Remember there were rumors of JW leaving Aquaman while he was posting about being excited about Aquaman...

Affleck is being honest and consistent with his comments and yet the nerd community feels they are owed more...why exactly?

 

[jmc]

He has been consistent in the underlying message but I'd argue not necessarily with how he's been saying. If I was him I probably wouldn't bother answering anymore questions about it just for his own sanity.

 

[Patchwork Man]

Why if he did that the same people would say "his not answering speaks volumes! Obviously he is having second thoughts..."

No kidding!

 

[OutOfBoose]

No kidding!

There's no double meaning in "we're working on the script and will start shooting as soon as I feel it's ready". But there is in "should that day come".

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

He has been consistent in the underlying message but I'd argue not necessarily with how he's been saying. If I was him I probably wouldn't bother answering anymore questions about it just for his own sanity.

Yeah, at this point, perhaps Ben should refrain from answering anymore questions about the film unless there's some significant new development. While I agree with those who've argued that his responses thus far have been clear and concise, I see no point in continuously reiterating what has already become public knowledge.

 

[Greenlite]

The day after Affleck refuses to answer the batman queries,

Perry: "Nobody cares about Ben Affleck taking on the Batman, Jenny, headline, end of love affair with Warner Brothers, question mark"

Internet melts down, Hypesters die of anxiety.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

^ Well, we've already got the gist. My sense is that he has every intention of directing the film and will only leave the project if things start to go awry. As of now, he's still polishing the screenplay. That's it.

How many times can you say the same thing? Moreover, why would anyone want to hear the same thing repeated over and over? I'm not suggesting he should refrain from talking about the film in perpetuum, mind you -- just until something new and worth mentioning occurs.

 

[I Am The Knight]

On one hand, I see what you are getting at. But on the other hand, it amounts to "fans better leave Ben Affleck alone or he really will quit!" This is a discussion board, and all this is getting put out there publicly. We are not the ones asking Affleck these questions. He's putting his answers out there publicly, and some of them seem like he's sending mixed signals. Jett with Batman on Film is talking about Justice League having problems. Collider's Steven Weintraub tweeted out he's less sure about Affleck directing the film.

If Ben Affleck is getting frustrated with how fans aren't leaving him alone on this, there's good reason for that. Batman v Superman was a polarizing project. Him spearheading a solo-Batman remake is seen as a way to potentially salvage the whole DCEU. Batman is a cultural, global icon, and he's one of the most popular characters on the planet. As such, people in general are a little more interested in the future of that character as it pertains to film than Live By Night, which has come and gone.

People don't really have to stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks at all. The movie's still in pre-production and a lot can still change at this point. I'm not really sure how what you are saying people shouldn't do is any different from your article this week. You wrote the following in your report:



No one's really disrespecting his request. It's not like fans are in his office knocking on his door everyday. If he's feeling pressured...I mean...look, that's what he signed up for. Being the new Batman for a new movie franchise means you take a lot of this on your shoulders. It's risky. You have to deal with so much in terms of expectation. It took years for Ben Affleck to rebuild his career and establish himself as a legitimate actor and filmmaker again. There was a point years ago where he said he'd never do another comic book movie. What he went through with Daredevil was the cause of that. Now, it seems like he's going through it all over again with Batman. I understand that having that weight and dealing with the expectations of fans and audiences who can be very fickle and turn on you in a second. Yeah that sucks. But Ben Affleck could've said no. He could've said no to Batman and just continue doing the passion projects and prestige pictures like Gone Girl, and he probably would've had a much more pleasant ride. Instead, he signed up to do another movie franchise and play a comic book hero again. So, after everything he went through and endured with Daredevil, after his movie career went through a gigantic slump that he had to fight and claw his way out of, he was at a point where he never needed to do a movie like Batman again. He said he wouldn't do this again. And yet, he willingly signed up for it. That's on him.

 

[shauner111]

Ben should just shut up at this point.

 

[BatLobster]

Stop looking for reasons to analyze and reinterpret his remarks into a reason to wring hands and be fearful, take "yes" for an answer, and then accept that the guy is exhausted and stressed out and needs a break so he can come back energized again and do his work. If down the road things don't work out for whatever reason -- including maybe fans refusing to give him a break -- then that will be the time to react accordingly. NOT when he's saying "yes I'm directing it, just give me time to finish the script so it's good enough, that's all I've been asking you to do!"

To be fair though Mr. Hughes (and I appreciate you dropping by to give your insight on the matter), as Affleck just said:

“I understand and embrace that. That’s part of the pressure that comes with doing it."

He's gonna have to learn how to deal and tune out the noise just like any other superhero or big franchise film director has to, otherwise he's not the right guy for the job. It's funny to watch him blow off steam on Kimmel about it, and totally understandable, but at the same time it's like...you put yourself in this position, dude. You decided to star in and direct a freakin' BATMAN movie. How did you expect the internet to react?

Reporters asking him endless questions are just as much a part of the problem as fans speculating based on all the endless articles and quotes. At the end of the day, fans are always look for things to talk about to fill the lull between movies. Once the movie goes into production and Affleck starts saying more consistently affirmative things about his feelings on the project, all of this will become yesterday's news and irrelevant.

 

[I Am The Knight]

Also, this is like the very definition of first world problems. Most directors have to fight to get their movie out there. Affleck is incredibly lucky to get to direct a Batman film, a project that sells itself. Him being attached to Batman arguably helps stuff like Live By Night get noticed a bit more.

 

[wehofilmfan]

There's no double meaning in "we're working on the script and will start shooting as soon as I feel it's ready". But there is in "should that day come".

So when he literally goes on TV and says "I'm directing the film, my comments before are trying to explain I'm busy and can't make it until I'm sure it's totally ready, I just want the script to be great and to get finished with my other projects," where's the double meaning in his clear statement and in his clear explanation of what the supposedly (but not really) "double meaning" remarks were trying to convey?

How many times do people need to point out "his comments that seem to imply uncertainty were actually included with additional remarks about planning to make it and just wanting the script to be great and being busy with other stuff, which he's come out publicly to totally clarify is what he's talking about," before it stops seeming to have "double meaning" to folks?

I think if you're determined to find double meaning, you will. And if you want real answers, you look at what he's said over and over, you listen to his explanation, and you understand what he's talking about and stop treating it as a soap opera for controversy's sake.