New Delhi: The announcement of Ben Affleck playing Batman in 'Man of Steel' sequel overpowered the news of Egyptian unrest and the failure of Indian policy makers in curbing the inflation. The news started a heated argument among the Batman fans which culminated on an online petition against Warner Brothers. So far, close to 84,000 people have signed the petition who don't want Affleck to play the hugely popular character.
One look at the reasons given by the supporters of the petition would make you sure that the signatures are not in support of Christian Bale as Batman but against Affleck as the DC superhero. This means the audience don't hold Christian Bale as the standard. This further leads me to conclude that Bale or for that matter any other Batman actor hasn't created a standard bar. So, basically Ben Affleck is discarded because he hasn't played a superhero in the past. Yes, I have seen 'Daredevil'. Of course, it wasn't any closer to what we have seen in the Batman franchise, but was Affleck bad in the film?
Batman means a man with the mask in a major part of the film. Any sensible actor with a good physique and understanding of body language can sail through this part. Now, come to the other half of Batman called Bruce Wayne. Do you really think Affleck can't pose as a disillusioned millionaire? His so called 'depression driven eyes' are a problem for sure but being a writer himself, he is likely to devise a way out of it. Innovative shot taking can also come to his rescue.
Good storytellers have a knack for surprising the audience. Don't tell me you had thought about Heath Ledger as Joker or Daniel Craig as James Bond. Also, don't deny that you haven't liked 'Gone Baby Gone' and 'Argo' and you loathe Affleck's style of filmmaking. This time Zack Snyder is going to wield the megaphone and the collaboration of two 'thinking' directors may come up with something worth casting a new actor.
Tobey Maguire did well as Spiderman but Andrew Garfield's entry in 'The Amazing Spider-Man' took the character graph to the next level. The political leaning of Ben Affleck is quite evident and if it seeps down to the character of Batman then it may prove out to be a deadly combo.
Joss Whedon, the director of 'The Avengers', tweeted, "Affleck'll crush it. He's got the chops, he's got the chin -- just needs the material. Affleck and Cavill toe to toe -- I'm in." This gives an insight into the thought process of filmmakers. They are clearly looking it at the appearance point of view, which means the actor's 'image' is secondary to them, and Ben Affleck has passed the first test.
Christian Bale was selected for the role of Batman because of his familiarity with Christopher Nolan's techniques. And, if you remember then even he was criticised for his selection in the beginning but later a morphed voice and a set of competent actors as aides in 'Batman Begins' helped him out of the difficult situation. Plus, Henry Cavill is a new Superman and him fighting an old Batman will give the latter an edge, and the audience might anticipate Batman as the ultimate winner, so a new actor with no legacy in superhero films was needed against him.
Affleck is likely to write a part of screenplay (Is there any doubt his writing skills as well?) which will give him a chance to showcase his strengths as an actor. He is already a global face after 'Argo', so he won't take much time in striking a connect with the international audience. He might not be Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt but 'Argo' has established Affleck as someone who can deliver good films.
Did you imagine Javier Bardem playing Raoul Silva in 'Skyfall' or Jesse Eisenberg playing a con-man in 'Now You See Me'!
In fact, the thing to be concerned about 'Man of Steel 2' is the role of the villain because he can easily get ignored in the presence of two mighty superheroes, and this will ultimately make the film a lightweight venture.
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