What is the future of Ben Affleck as Batman in the DCEU?

[Boom]

If Reeves ends up making a Batman trilogy, if we follow the Dark Knight trilogy as a template, we're looking at about 7-8 years to complete it. So that's the biggest drawback to having an actor in their late forties. By the time they get to the third film, they'd be pushing sixty. And that's not even taking into account any future Justice League films on top of that.

 

[ManWithNoName18]

So lets say some form of recast does happen, should there be some kind of in universe explanation for it? Or just have the new actor take over and leave it at that? Considering Affleck has had more appearences as Batman in the DCEU than Nortan as Hulk or Howard as Rhodes.

An in universe explanation could be anything from Lazarus pit, Flashpoint, having Batman movies set before BVS, etc. Basically anything that could explain why Batman looks different than he does in previous movies.

Or go the route of having the new actor take over, and we all just roll with it. A younger actor though may screw around with the continuity of BVS, considering Snyder interpreted the DCEU Batman as an older/world weary/veteran Batman who had already been active for around 20 years.

 

[Rorschach2012]

Armie Hammer is the perfect age for it. Armitage is probably a little too old to sign on for what will inevitably 6+ films.

I want this to be the only recast for Batman in the DCEU. They need someone that's willing to sign on for a bunch of films.

 

[Fincher]

They should never have gone with an older Batman, but they did, and unless they somehow magic it away or break continuity, someone as young as Hammer won't make sense. I prefer the idea of someone in their late thirties, old enough that you can sell them as the same character, but with more years in them to play the role.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

^ I think the perfect age is 38..enough to stretch into "middle age Batman" but old enough that it isn't a completely jarring transition.

But TBH..what would be epic is if Batman started at 50 and the last film of the Batman series was an adaptation of TDK Returns (with Captain Marvel taking place of the Superman role or something)


Imagine Batman starting up spry

<-- Dylan Mcdermont

and looking like an old Arnold Schwartzenneger by the end. I think that would be dramatic.

Also Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan have had very physical roles and are far from young.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Affleck is 45 now....I'd love to see him play a mid-50s, grizzled, Dark Knight Returns Batman when he really is that age. Unfortunately, they've pretty much done that angle in BvS, so it seems unlikely now.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

^ Other than

Spoiler

beating Superman and saying "I believe you."

I feel like TDKR is an extension of a non-deadly Batman at the end of his rope. He uses rubber bullets instead of lead, and only decides to kill Joker when he feels personally responsible for the Joker's murders..

Spoiler

but can't bring himself to actually do it. He sets the Joker's body on fire, though.

Far from grenade-returning, knife stabbing, machine gun strafing, Batmobile crushing killer.

 

[Playco Armboy]

Affleck seems like he hates everything to do with the franchise and wants nothing but out.

Jon Hamm or Armie Hammer, please.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

Affleck seems like he hates everything to do with the franchise and wants nothing but out.

Jon Hamm or Armie Hammer, please.

^ I actually get the opposite feeling. I feel like Affleck felt this could be his redemption from Daredevil..that's why he brought in his Argo writer. But I think the combination of the poor reception of BVS and his own aspirations for other work has kind of burnt him out.

From what I've seen (been a while since I watched it), BVS didn't feel "dialed in" for the most part.

Affleck picked out outfits, put on a twang, and put on a LOT of muscle for the role.

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But the Justice League footage pretty much to me feels tame, almost like anybody could play the role and not feel out of a place.

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I think treating Batman like Bond with an "introducing someone" as Batman would be the way to go. I think a little backstory on how the universes are different (maybe a comment about Superman and Batman being lifelong friends) and I don't think it will be a problem.

In fact..it could be a Norton and Ruffalo situation where the characters are the same-no reboot..But I want a light reboot in this case-if nothing else to keep Batman from shooting people with guns.

Yeah, I know this was a comic-

But so is this-

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Batman is the most infinitely flexible and adaptable fictional character there is, and I'd argue everything including his moral code and stance on killing is part of that.

Killing his enemies works for some versions: the unhinged, revenge-fuelled Michael Keaton Batman especially, because the whole movie questions whether he is a hero at all or just a lunatic. The burnt-out, desolate Affleck version benefited from killing his enemies, because it showed just how far over the line he'd gone. Also, in terms of storytelling, we needed to know this Batman was a killer to add to the stakes of his fight with Superman.

On the other hand, the more focused Bale version has a rule about not killing that makes it more dramatic when he's being baited by the Joker, and the Adam West version is an upstanding moral bastion.

It's all part of the fascinating flexibility of the character.

 

[ludovica]

Batman is the most infinitely flexible and adaptable fictional character there is, and I'd argue everything including his moral code and stance on killing is part of that.

That could be said of any character ever, just wait until someone subverts them.
Look at the What If series from Marvel for a plethora of examples;as an example, there are stories where Spider-Man becomes a killer or a monster, some are good, some are dreadful.
But Spider-Man remains best with his original characterization, the one who made it iconic in the first place, the one without which all those other takes do not work on their own.
The same is exactly true for Batman, no matter how many good stories they write or shoot with him as a killer, and I have yet to see one.
In Batfleck case it's self explanatory why it's a wrong take: it works only if we assume Batman previously did not kill but how should we infer that in this iteration? Right, because that's always his core trait, the one thing that's counter intuitive to negate.

 

[green]

My gut says Ben is gone even without the Weinstein debacle.

Yeah, I think he's technically been gone since Reeves came onboard.
They just just won't say anything until after Justice League and throw him producer credit on The Batman.
I'm cool with it. Affleck was a great Batman but there's other actors who can wear the cowl.

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

^ My top picks are Armitage, Hamm, and Hammer.

 

[Silvermoth]

Hamm would be such a great two face. And such a delicious surname too

 

[BruceWayne2]

Affleck seems like he hates everything to do with the franchise and wants nothing but out.

Jon Hamm or Armie Hammer, please.

Well, I don't wanna speak for him or know his business, but I can unfortunately say from experience that when you're dealing with a substance issue (such as alcohol) it can drain you, take all your focus, and exacerbate personal issues. I know people who have had opportunities that they should have loved and been really proud and focused on and taken full advantage of, but their personal struggles just overwhelmed and exhausted them.

I get the impression Affleck is really into the role and genuinely wants to give the audience the best that he can, but his personal struggles and reactions to some of his films have just left him drained and overwhelmed. But, last I heard, he was trying to pull back a little to get control and refocus, so I would love to see a kind of redemption arc where he regains his inspiration and full commitment, and starts to win people over, that would perfectly mirror the arc of the character. I think it was a great idea to give the reigns over to somebody like Reeves and allow him to help carry the weight of the film.

I'd love for him to stay in the role as long as he is happy to do so. But if he feels it would be best to step down, I understand. Either way, I'm just as excited and optimistic for more Batman solo projects!


I also wouldn't mind at all, the idea of Affleck's Justice League story Batman, with a completely separate Batman solo series, and maybe Bat family series, that involves things like this rumored separate Joker movie

 

[BruceWayne2]

That could be said of any character ever, just wait until someone subverts them.
Look at the What If series from Marvel for a plethora of examples;as an example, there are stories where Spider-Man becomes a killer or a monster, some are good, some are dreadful.
But Spider-Man remains best with his original characterization, the one who made it iconic in the first place, the one without which all those other takes do not work on their own.
The same is exactly true for Batman, no matter how many good stories they write or shoot with him as a killer, and I have yet to see one.
In Batfleck case it's self explanatory why it's a wrong take: it works only if we assume Batman previously did not kill but how should we infer that in this iteration? Right, because that's always his core trait, the one thing that's counter intuitive to negate.

Yeah, I can relate to that. I love the different takes on the character. I understand where they're starting off from with BvS and I think they're doing a Redemption arc that will return him to those ideals, so I'm cool with that. But yeah, my ideal Batman, in the long term, is one who has that strict moral code and also one who is always mentally two steps ahead of the curve, even if it doesn't seem like it until the end, when you realize he had been planning ahead for whatever particular eventuality the entire time.

 

[LaughterLives]

Make this guy put on 25-30 pounds of muscle and there's The Batman we need!

 

[Silvermoth]

It's a shame they couldn't grab Daniel Wu from Into the Badlands. He would make an amazing Batman!



And the perfect age to get that actress from baby driver to play catwoman

 

[Predator jp]

Daniel Wu is 43, only two years younger than Ben.

 

[ludovica]

But Daniel Wu is the closest thing an actor could be to Batman.
Make it so!

 

[Silvermoth]

Daniel Wu is 43, only two years younger than Ben.

Daniel looks good for his age though. Daniel looks at the top of his game whereas my friend said he saw them install a catheda in the batmobile when Ben Affleck got the job

 

[ludovica]

Daniel Wu choreographing his fights as Batman would show the light to the Snyder boys. t:

 

[ManWithNoName18]

From recent USA Today article

The new Batman movie being developed by Matt Reeves (War for the Planet of the Apes) is “something I’m contemplating,” says Affleck, who originally was tapped to direct. “You don’t do it forever, so I want to find a graceful and cool way to segue out of it.”

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Based on his recent comments, I think I can better answer the question posed in the topic title.

What is the future of Ben Affleck as Batman in the DCEU?

Answer: Non-existent.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Based on his recent comments, I think I can better answer the question posed in the topic title.

What is the future of Ben Affleck as Batman in the DCEU?

Answer: Non-existent.

Or it's a one picture deal with Reeves and then he's out.