Zack Snyder recently announced Ben Affleck to portray Bruce Wayne in the Man of Steel sequel due 2014. My guess is, however, you knew this considering the entire Internet has decided to hang Ben to dry. I've seen every internet meme and heard some good jokes about it, but I have to put myself on a limb and defend Ben Affleck.
I think he will make a great Bruce Wayne and a stellar Batman. This is not a popular opinion, but I have my reasons.
1.Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder is directing Man Of Steel and will be on top of Ben throughout this entire process. Snyder directed The Watchmen and knows more about this space than either of us do (assuming here that Snyder isn't reading this). His directorial skills are not up for debate here as you have definitely either seen The Watchmen, 300, or Man Of Steel and you certainly like one of those three films. Did you think that Henry was going to be a bad Superman? Had you even heard of the actor before? Trust the director. He won't let you down.
2. All Grown Up
Ben Affleck is all grown up and has matured into one of the most successful actors and directors to date. His performance and directorial debut ARGO won best picture. He is no longer Daredevil. I have heard the same Daredevil argument over and over again so lets nip this in the bud.
The world was not ready for a Daredevil movie. Ben Affleck was never fitted for that type of a role before and it was a major leap. Colin Farrell was Bulls-Eye and he was God awful. Michael Clarke Duncan was Kingpin. It was a bad film and a pretty terrible portrayal of that universe, but Affleck was not to blame for that. Since Daredevil his skills have been paramount.
He was also the bomb in Phantoms, yo.
3. It's Batman vs. Superman. Not Christian Bale: The Adventure
The last decade we have been sold on Batman being a ninja with personal demons and really horrible luck. Christian Bale was a solid Batman, but his story of The Dark Knight is entirely different to the one we're going to see with Zack Snyder. We watched Bale give birth to the character in an entirely new universe. We saw the inception all the way to the retirement. It was a trilogy encompassing the entire span of Gotham City's Dark Knight.
See where I'm going with this? The movie is called as-of-now Batman vs. Superman. This is not the ninja with issues Christian Bale Batman. This is a matured Bruce Wayne. If you are still up in arms about Affleck I implore you to read this:
Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns. This is the universe that you are going to see on the silver screen in 2014. It's not confirmed yet that the sequel will follow the events to a T, but there is no denying the connection between Frank Miller and Zack Snyder.
This is not Christian Bale's Batman. This is a much smarter, cunning, and down to business Batman. There will be no Rachael side plot. There will be no flashbacks of ninjas and Liam. Get ready for a new (better) adventure.
Affleck can play this role perfectly. He's matured as an actor as Bruce in this film has matured into Gotham's symbol against injustice. His presence against Superman and his power is shown through his solidarity and maturity. Batman's ability to see the world for what it truly is and be a tough, honest vigilante is impeccable in this story. Ben Affleck is going to dominate this role.
I believe in Ben Affleck.
