Why are so many people ripping on Ben Affleck?
I mean, OK, I get it. He was terrible in “Daredevil” and “Gigli.” I’m not denying that. I can see that, especially coming off Christian Bale, Affleck may seem like an “out there” choice for the next Batman.
But for crying out loud, look what the guy’s done since then! “Hollywoodland,” “The Town” and especially “Argo” are all fantastic.
People might see him as this pretty boy who’s not that deep of an actor, but I see a mature and talented filmmaker who truly loves and understands the magic of movies. People, the last film he made won the Oscar for Best Picture. Are you all really so upset over him donning the cape and cowl after seeing what he pulled off in “Argo”?
Affleck will make an awesome Bruce Wayne. Hell, I could also see him writing and directing the next set of lone Batman movies somewhere down the line.
But people can’t seem to get past the fact that it’s Ben Affleck playing Batman. I seem to recall, once upon a time, when Heath Ledger and Robert Downey Jr. were bashed after being cast as Joker and Iron Man, I wonder how that turned out?
These casting decisions honestly get way more attention than they should. On one hand, yes, it is Batman and it’s also Ben Affleck. I get how it’s newsworthy. But the media is blowing this out of proportion.
I loved Christian Bale, but truth be told I’m not going to miss that growling voice he insisted on using for three movies. Batman is bigger than any one actor, with Affleck the sixth man to wear the cowl. Are we really insinuating he’ll be worse than George Clooney, who wore a bat suit with rubber nipples? Get out of here.
Our culture is so focused on celebrity personas that we judge an actor before we’ve even seen him in a role. You want to judge a celebrity for going against his or her previous image? Go bash Miley Cyrus post-VMAs.
Unlike her, Affleck actually has a career ahead of him, Batman or otherwise. Give the man a chance to bring justice to the Bat.
Even if he fails, you know the film studios will put out another reboot in five years anyway. They seem to be a little reboot crazy lately. But that’s for another column.
