Well this should definitely add more speculative fuel to recent rumors that Ben Affleck’s days as Batman are numbered. Affleck is reportedly looking to set up his next directing project, and this one might not be with Warner Bros., the studio behind three of his previous efforts: The Town, Argo (which nabbed a Best Picture Oscar), and Live By Night. If the deal goes through, Affleck will direct his next film — an Afghanistan war drama — for Sony.
We all know that Ben Affleck’s performance as Batman was one of the few things both critics and fans of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice could completely agree on. From his shallow playboy persona as Bruce Wayne to his thinly veiled rage as the Dark Knight, Affleck’s take on the character got everyone very excited to see what the actor-writer-director could do with a free hand for his standalone The Batman movie. Unfortunately, things have slowed considerably since, with rumors of mediocre scripts and a shifting release date taking some of the buzz off the upcoming release.
How was the Joker? Is Ben Affleck’s Batman a welcome addition? What about the other surprise DC cameo? Does Amanda Waller’s plan make any sense at all? Who the heck is Slipknot? How does Harley Quinn fit into the rest of the Suicide Squad? Why did they introduce Katana so late in the movie? What the hell was going on with the Enchantress? Did they really just rip off Ghostbusters with that ending? All of those topics and more are on the table for our FULL SPOILERS discussion and review of Suicide Squad.
Despite Ben Affleck’s solid turn as the caped crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, some fans took issue with one particular aspect of this new Batman: he kills. It’s not entirely out of character for the iconic superhero (he’s killed people in the comic books before), but the movie and TV versions of the Dark Knight don’t typically murder bad guys. It’s part of that whole “hero” thing, you know? If you were one of the fans disappointed with Zack Snyder’s decision to have Batman kill some thugs, then boy do we have some news for you.
Zack Snyder makes superhero movies, but his characters don’t act very heroic. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice features all the other trappings of the superhero genre: Capes, gadgets, outlandish muscles, punching stuff. But the two stars aren’t noble or chivalrous; they’re violent, aggressive, and angry — mostly at each other instead of the bad guys. In Snyder’s formulation, protecting the world from evil isn’t a gift or a calling; it’s a burden. And that feeling is reflected in the movie itself, a burdensome 150- minute slog about two men fighting over who is in the right when both are very clearly in the wrong.
It’s both cool and a little silly to hear the name “Alfred” come out of Ben Affleck’s mouth, but the brief moments we’ve seen between our new Batman and Jeremy Irons’ Alfred have been one of the highlights of the trailers and TV spots for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The latest spot opens with Bruce Wayne and his most trusted friend bantering about the Dark Knight’s age, though that does not stop him from taking on the Man of Steel later on in the new sneak peek.
Part of the fun comic book fans have had over the years is debating which superhero could defeat which superhero. Could Wolverine beat The Hulk? Could the X-Men beat The Avengers? There have been entire lines of books devoted to this very topic. Heck, Batman vs. Superman and Captain America: Civil War are both based on this very conceit. So, you can’t blame Matt Damon for getting into the fun when asked if his Jason Bourne, who he calls “my superhero”, could take his pal Ben Affleck’s Batman. As you might expect, Damon’s not stepping down from the challenge.
Following the Batman vs. Superman info dump that came out of Comic-Con, we thought it might be a while before we saw or heard anything from the upcoming superhero movie. After all, we did get an extended new trailer, new images and a new poster. But today, we have three new Batman vs. Superman pics each showing off one of the film’s three main characters: Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor.
The Batman vs. Superman trailer came and went, and we still didn't get a great look at Ben Affleck in the traditional Batman costume (we’ll leave that armored suit out of this). We’ve all seen that black and white promo shot, but what does Batfleck look like in clear, full color? Today, we have that answer.