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[Blader]

Bullshit. Affleck even basically apologized.

The intro is lazy because the rest of the movie does not match the intro's narrative. It's like, "These are the reasons why the Iranian Revolution happened, we're trying to give a balanced perspective, now let's just have the Iranians become a bunch of buffoons for the next two hours." It's shoddy film-making because it makes the intro feel out-of-place, even when it's supposed to give vital background information.

What do I care that Affleck apologized? The intro provided the necessary context for the story and that was enough for me. The film wasn't about the history of the Iranian revolution or even the hostage crisis anyway, it was solely about Mendez's mission. All you need is the background info to inform both the Iranians' actions and the American response, which the film had.

Again, if the movie just opened with a bunch of angry Iranians and zero insight into the political situation around the event, then you'd have a point. But the film did address it, and you can't just dismiss it as Affleck's attempt to be balanced - which is an especially asinine criticism in this case - and then turn around and complain about him not being balanced enough.

 

[Dead Man]

Yeah, I bet he's real broken up about landing a lead role in a blockbuster and possibly directing a sequel. If only he could be in some shitty procedural on TV like Jeri Ryan. Poor guy.

That may be the case, but taking a beating in public like this must be absolute shit.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

That may be the case, but taking a beating in public like this must be absolute shit.

The dude survived J-Lo and Gigli, a bunch of insulated hate from whiny internet nerds is a cake walk for him.

 

[Jables Swan]

The dude survived J-Lo and Gigli, a bunch of insulated hate from whiny internet nerds is a cake walk for him.

Yeah I wouldn't have thought people on the Internet would bother him.

 

[Dahbomb]

At first I had the same reaction as most. The news was especially shocking because the casting call was asking for someone in their mid 40s, grisly war veteran type. Someone like Josh Brolin... basically I had pictured that they would go for the Dark Knight Returns Batman (not as old but close enough). Ben Affleck was not what I had in mind and was definitely not my first pick.

I quickly remembered Daredevil (which I didn't think was that bad), Gigly, Paycheck, Pearl Harbor and a bunch of other dud Ben Affleck movies. The baggage was immense and I got a bit worried.

Then I remembered that Ben Affleck was asked to direct Justice League (rumored at least). Then I remembered that he has two Oscars to his name, one for writing and one for directing. Then I also remembered that his last few movies his acting has been decent to solid. And then I also remembered that Ben Affleck is a decently built guy with a good height (taller than Bale), is 41 and has a chiseled jaw... suddenly this casting choice started to make TOO much sense to me.

Ben Affleck being involved in the next movie means the blow of Zack + Goyer would be lessened. Zack likes collaborating and he will take some Ben input, I would bet my candy ass on it. Not only that but Ben would have big input on not only the next few Batman movies but Justice League as well most probably. Getting a director/writer of his talent is a big deal for WB/DC... you have to look beyond just "oh he doesn't have the intimidation factor of Batman" to realize this.

I still think that Ben Affleck has to go through a character transformation to achieve an imposing and threatening Batman. I don't think portraying Bruce is out of the ordinary for him, pretty sure he has played numerous playboys, millionaire handsome guy in suits with a darker side. His portrayal in Changing Lanes made me think that Bruce isn't the problem for him. More than likely the casting guys had Ben try out a Batman suit to see how he would look in it so he would probably look fine in it.

I am cautiously optimistic about this... and I am mostly cautious not because of Ben Affleck but because of Zack + Goyer on the movie.

 

[royalan]

I was intrugued with the idea of a young and crazy Joker. I expected a lot of youthful exuberance and vigor.

I don't want this dude to be Batman. He should have been Green Lantern or something. Something will happen. Something will prevent this. I know.

Maybe a World War 3.

Batman is more than just some growling dude in a suit and cape, skulking around in the dark. He's more than preptime. He's more than some trained assassin that has a no-kill code. I don't think Affleck can work up to display the maturity and confidence and the arrogance necessary to play the Batman. Maybe he could have been Dickbat, but he...he doesn't have it in him. Maybe he'll do a passable job. We've been accepting those since Val Kilmer, and redifining what a passing grade means with each attempt. But this is just dashing the potential away before any thing even gets started.

Yep.

I think this boils down to a lot of people not really taking the casting of these characters seriously because "they're just comicbook characters."

If you really think about it, Bruce Wayne is a fucking complex fucker of a character if you want to nail him with any sort of depth.

If you want somebody who just looks the part, who can stand there and look big with a mean chin, I guess Ben fits the bill. But no way he nails the nuance of being Bruce Wayne. No way he brings Bruce Wayne to life. He's just not good enough. Never has been.

Spoiler

The more I think about it, Jon Hamm would be the PERFECT older Batman. I mean, Don Draper basically IS Bruce Wayne minus a couple billion.

 

[Darryl]

i'd be a dozen times more excited to see how JGLs batman would've played out then this

 

[bob_arctor]

The dude survived J-Lo and Gigli, a bunch of insulated hate from whiny internet nerds is a cake walk for him.

Well goddamn, son, let me find some of these real life motherfuckers who think this shit is a great fucking idea cuz I can't find a one. Mentioned this to my Pops and he was like "You fuckin' kidding me??" He didn't start a petition though. Just shook his head, cracked a couple of beers and passed me one. Shit, only place I've seen people actually okay with this terrible choice was here in insulated whiny internet nerdville.

 

[Clevinger]

Well goddamn, son, let me find some of these real life motherfuckers who think this shit is a great fucking idea cuz I can't find a one. Mentioned this to my Pops and he was like "You fuckin' kidding me??" He didn't start a petition though. Just shook his head, cracked a couple of beers and passed me one. Shit, only place I've seen people actually okay with this terrible choice was here in insulated whiny internet nerdville.

Well goddamn, son, you must ask a lot of people what they think about batman casting news.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Well goddamn, son, let me find some of these real life motherfuckers who think this shit is a great fucking idea cuz I can't find a one. Mentioned this to my Pops and he was like "You fuckin' kidding me??" He didn't start a petition though. Just shook his head, cracked a couple of beers and passed me one. Shit, only place I've seen people actually okay with this terrible choice was here in insulated whiny internet nerdville.

What a heartwarming commercial you just wrote.

Most people don't really give a shit one way or another outside of making a stupid joke for 5 seconds and continuing their day.

 

[bob_arctor]

Well goddamn, son, you must ask a lot of people what they think about batman casting news.

What, how'd you know? Did all the petitions give it away??

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Well goddamn, son, let me find some of these real life motherfuckers who think this shit is a great fucking idea cuz I can't find a one. Mentioned this to my Pops and he was like "You fuckin' kidding me??" He didn't start a petition though. Just shook his head, cracked a couple of beers and passed me one. Shit, only place I've seen people actually okay with this terrible choice was here in insulated whiny internet nerdville.

I'm sure Ben Affleck is concerned about your pops.

This shit will all subside. Next year we will start to get set pics, a teaser, and eventually a trailer which will shut down the internet. The downside to having Affleck as Batman is being completely oversold by people.

 

[cLOUDo]

With or without affleck is going to be a "meeh" movie

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Well goddamn, son, let me find some of these real life motherfuckers who think this shit is a great fucking idea cuz I can't find a one. Mentioned this to my Pops and he was like "You fuckin' kidding me??" He didn't start a petition though. Just shook his head, cracked a couple of beers and passed me one. Shit, only place I've seen people actually okay with this terrible choice was here in insulated whiny internet nerdville.

Just what this thread needed. Some strangely out-of-place wistful Americana.

 

[royalan]

I'm sure Ben Affleck is concerned about your pops.

This shit will all subside. Next year we will start to get set pics, a teaser, and eventually a trailer which will shut down the internet. The downside to having Affleck as Batman is being completely oversold by people.

I don't know. All it takes is the seed of "don't take this film seriously" to be planted early to get your film John Carter'd.

Frankly, I'm surprised by how much of the outrage ISN'T confined to Geekdom. The general public reaction seems to be "...lolwut?"

 

[Ashhong]

I like the casting. I am also confident that he will make the movie and franchise better with his many other talents.

Those of you saying they don't care about the actor because its just "comic book characters" don't know Snyder. Dude obviously cares about the casting choices for his movies.

 

[the_painted_bird]

I don't want a superman VERSUS batman movie to be made, sounds like a terrible idea.

 

[Lunzio]

I actually see Ben as a talented man. An odd choice? Maybe. But the wrong one? We'll find out soon enough.

 

[shadow_shogun]

Yep.

I think this boils down to a lot of people not really taking the casting of these characters seriously because "they're just comicbook characters."

If you really think about it, Bruce Wayne is a fucking complex fucker of a character if you want to nail him with any sort of depth.

If you want somebody who just looks the part, who can stand there and look big with a mean chin, I guess Ben fits the bill. But no way he nails the nuance of being Bruce Wayne. No way he brings Bruce Wayne to life. He's just not good enough. Never has been.

Spoiler

The more I think about it, Jon Hamm would be the PERFECT older Batman. I mean, Don Draper basically IS Bruce Wayne minus a couple billion.

I always thought Jon Hamm looked more like Superman. Ray Stevenson, aka Titus Pullo would have been a beter choice.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I don't want a superman VERSUS batman movie to be made, sounds like a terrible idea.

that's not what's happening.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

I don't know. All it takes is the seed of "don't take this film seriously" to be planted early to get your film John Carter'd.

Frankly, I'm surprised by how much of the outrage ISN'T confined to Geekdom. The general public reaction seems to be "...lolwut?"

John Carter was ignored because it was based on a property that nobody gave a shit about, an to compound that, Disney made that property even more unappealing. This is fucking BATMAN. Batman and Superman. If you don't think the hype will be through the roof once we start to see footage and a trailer you are crazy. Nobody will remember this stuff. It's Ledger and, to a much lesser extent, Keaton all over again. You don't think the general public reaction to Ledger as Joker, coming fresh off Brokeback Mountain, was also "...lolwut?"?

 

[the_painted_bird]

that's not what's happening.

Break it down for me

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Footage of him, in a somewhat comics-accurate suit, spouting a one liner, throwing a punch, and cutting to the logo of the film with the title "worlds finest" appearing over it?

Nobody's gonna give a shit that it's Ben Affleck in the suit.

All of this has happened before. All of it will happen again.

Break it down for me

It's a Superman sequel. Batman is a supporting character in that sequel. It appears Lex Luthor will be introduced in this movie, and while Batman & Superman will likely square off at least once, they will even MORE likely combine to take down whatever threat Luthor presents in this movie.

Batman will not be the main antagonist of the movie. It's a team-up movie.

Basically - Avengers wasn't "Thor vs. Iron Man" even though that was a fight that happened IN the movie.

 

[the_painted_bird]

Bobby, how do you think this is going to turn out? I'm curious. Also what was your opinion of MoS?

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I liked Man of Steel - probably more than Superman II, but not as much as Superman: The Movie. It's got all the problems you'd guess a Zack Snyder/David Goyer movie would have: It's paced weirdly, it doesn't quite earn all it's emotional moments, there's almost zero sense of fun and nobody talks like an actual person. But as a valid interpretation of Superman, I found it interesting, somewhat unique, and overall - pretty solid. There's definitely room to improve, but I thought it was a good film, and I'd place it just behind Batman Begins in terms of quality, myself (I'm one of the people on this forum who hasn't, with time, elevated Batman Begins far beyond its initial reception)

I honestly don't know how this will turn out - I don't know that I'm hopeful, but I'm definitely curious. I don't think Affleck is at all a worry - he's a supporting character in a big ensemble cast, and he works very well in that capacity. Also, his choice in film has been REALLY good recently, and his work IN those films has been equally good. So Affleck really isn't a concern. The concern is that Goyer will be able to synthesize a compelling story from whatever comics he decides to raid this go-round, that he'll be able to write dialog that sounds somewhat interesting to hear, and that Snyder will figure a way to pace his movie, and instill legitimate moments of emotion that actually BUILD on each other, and don't just singularly pop out of long stretches of pretty, airless action.

 

[the_painted_bird]

I liked Man of Steel - probably more than Superman II, but not as much as Superman: The Movie. It's got all the problems you'd guess a Zack Snyder/David Goyer movie would have: It's paced weirdly, it doesn't quite earn all it's emotional moments, there's almost zero sense of fun and nobody talks like an actual person. But as a valid interpretation of Superman, I found it interesting, somewhat unique, and overall - pretty solid. There's definitely room to improve, but I thought it was a good film, and I'd place it just behind Batman Begins in terms of quality, myself (I'm one of the people on this forum who hasn't, with time, elevated Batman Begins far beyond its initial reception)

I honestly don't know how this will turn out - I don't know that I'm hopeful, but I'm definitely curious. I don't think Affleck is at all a worry - he's a supporting character in a big ensemble cast, and he works very well in that capacity. Also, his choice in film has been REALLY good recently, and his work IN those films has been equally good. So Affleck really isn't a concern. The concern is that Goyer will be able to synthesize a compelling story from whatever comics he decides to raid this go-round, that he'll be able to write dialog that sounds somewhat interesting to hear, and that Snyder will figure a way to pace his movie, and instill legitimate moments of emotion that actually BUILD on each other, and don't just singularly pop out of long stretches of pretty, airless action.

Agreed on MoS, and yeah, the storyline is what concerns me most about this crossover. I appreciate your opinion.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Agreed on MoS, and yeah, the storyline is what concerns me most about this crossover. I appreciate your opinion.

Hey, no problem! thanks man.

 

[TUSR]

im batman

 

[BadAss2961]

With a script that supposedly hasn't been written yet, i'm sure a major part of the plan is to make Ben part of the Snyder/Goyer team. The three of them bouncing ideas off each other should have some good results.

The more I think about it, the more I think this movie's in good hands. If there's one thing Snyder's great at, it's making shit look cool... Batman's appearance, fighting style, and overall badassery is going to be legit -- i'm pretty sure he gets it. Affleck's input should help smooth out the script and pacing.

 

[PantherLotus]

I think Affleck will be awesome. Too bad he won't get his own Batman/Nolan trilogy.

 

[- J - D -]

I think Affleck will be awesome. Too bad he won't get his own Batman/Nolan trilogy.

Consolation prize: He'll get a Snyder trilogy.

 

[royalan]

John Carter was ignored because it was based on a property that nobody gave a shit about, an to compound that, Disney made that property even more unappealing. This is fucking BATMAN. Batman and Superman. If you don't think the hype will be through the roof once we start to see footage and a trailer you are crazy. Nobody will remember this stuff. It's Ledger and, to a much lesser extent, Keaton all over again. You don't think the general public reaction to Ledger as Joker, coming fresh off Brokeback Mountain, was also "...lolwut?"?

No, actually.

It was the typical internet insecure male geek reaction, but I think the general public recognized Ledger as a superbly talented actor by that point, thanks to the widespread critical acclaim (and accompanying Best Actor nod) he got for his role in Brokeback. Ledger may have gotten his foot in the door as a teen heartthrob, but if you look at his actual performances the signs of a great actor were always there. He would have easily followed in the footsteps of former-heartthrobs-turned-acclaimed actors like DiCaprio, Depp and Pitt if it weren't for his death.

But there definitely wasn't the widespread ridicule Ben Affleck is getting right now. I mean, this is kinda unprecedented. I doubt Ben will be removed from the role or anything crazy like that, but I've never seen such widespread panning of a casting decision before in my life.

Just goes to show that, despite his recent inroads with directing, people still don't really buy Ben Affleck as a good actor. Because, well, he's really not that good of an actor.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Ledger may have gotten his foot in the door as a teen heartthrob, but if you look at his actual performances the signs of a great actor were always there. He would have easily followed in the footsteps of former-heartthrobs-turned-acclaimed actors like DiCaprio, Depp and Pitt if it weren't for his death.

But there definitely wasn't the widespread ridicule Ben Affleck is getting right now. I mean, this is kinda unprecedented.

But nobody looked at his actual performances. People looked at the fact he was in a teen comedy, and posted jokes about his singing at Julia Stiles in the bleachers, or made "We Will Rock You" cracks courtesy of A Knight's Tale. People absolutely didn't look at his actual performances. They made gay jokes, they minimized the guy's skill, and reduced everything to the level they needed in order to easily dismiss him so as to present THEIR choice, which was obviously better.

There wasn't the ridicule Affleck is getting now? Maybe. It's only been a couple days. The Ledger shit lasted for YEARS, up until someone saw him in a trailer and went "Okay...well, maybe I was wrong about this."

But the ridicule Affleck is getting now isn't unprecedented. It still has a way to go before it lives up to the ridicule Keaton got in 1988.

over 10k signed an internet petition? That ain't shit compared to 50k sending self-addressed stamped envelopes to WB expressing their handwritten displeasure on looseleaf notebook paper as to how they could have cast Mr. Mom as Batman.

 

[royalan]

But nobody looked at his actual performances. People looked at the fact he was in a teen comedy, and posted jokes about his singing at Julia Stiles in the bleachers, or made "We Will Rock You" cracks courtesy of A Knight's Tale. People absolutely didn't look at his actual performances. They made gay jokes, they minimized the guy's skill, and reduced everything to the level they needed in order to easily dismiss him so as to present THEIR choice, which was obviously better.

There wasn't the ridicule Affleck is getting now? Maybe. It's only been a couple days. The Ledger shit lasted for YEARS, up until someone saw him in a trailer and went "Okay...well, maybe I was wrong about this."

But the ridicule Affleck is getting now isn't unprecedented. It still has a way to go before it lives up to the ridicule Keaton got in 1988.

over 10k signed an internet petition? That ain't shit compared to 50k sending self-addressed stamped envelopes to WB expressing their handwritten displeasure on looseleaf notebook paper as to how they could have cast Mr. Mom as Batman.

I think most people looked at his actual performances. If your barometer for public reaction is internet message boards, then of course the hate was strong.

It's the freaking internet. Shock at Ben Affleck's casting is being reported on nightly news. My Facebook feed is on fire with it. I don't think the general public even KNEW Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker until the ads came, much less were THIS vocal about it.

Also...Val Kilmer as Batman was actually before my time...so I wasn't technically wrong there. hehe...

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I think most people looked at his actual performances. If your barometer for public reaction is internet message boards, then of course the hate was strong.

It's the freaking internet. Shock at Ben Affleck's casting is being reported on nightly news. My Facebook feed is on fire with it. I don't think the general public even KNEW Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker until the ads came, much less were THIS vocal about it.

This is less a reflection on people's reaction to Ben Affleck, and more a indictment of how lazy broadcast news has gotten with regards to picking/choosing what stories to report on, and how to report on them.

When Dark Knight came out - news directors/editors weren't so reliant on internet trends to decide what stories to push on their news hours.

Basically - my barometer isn't internet messageboards, but the news' reliance on trending topics and reddit threads has increased exponentially between Dark Knight's pre-production phase and now. So there's a shift in what mainstream media pays attention to. People made fun of the choice of Ledger for a long while. I remember it distinctly. It wasn't just "messageboards." People took their shots at the dude.

The Affleck backlash is similar to what was happening with Ledger. It's still much less than what Keaton got. And it didn't matter with Ledger, and it didn't matter with Keaton. So long as he looks like Batman (the suit will help, here people will buy in once they see it in motion

 

[Forkball]

I desperately hope this is a scene in the upcoming movie.

 

[royalan]

This is less a reflection on people's reaction to Ben Affleck, and more a indictment of how lazy broadcast news has gotten with regards to picking/choosing what stories to report on, and how to report on them.

When Dark Knight came out - news directors/editors weren't so reliant on internet trends to decide what stories to push on their news hours.

Basically - my barometer isn't internet messageboards, but the news' reliance on trending topics and reddit threads has increased exponentially between Dark Knight's pre-production phase and now. So there's a shift in what mainstream media pays attention to. People made fun of the choice of Ledger for a long while. I remember it distinctly. It wasn't just "messageboards." People took their shots at the dude.

The Affleck backlash is similar to what was happening with Ledger. It's still much less than what Keaton got. And it didn't matter with Ledger, and it didn't matter with Keaton. So long as he looks like Batman (the suit will help, here people will buy in once they see it in motion

Well, lets be fair here: it ultimately didn't matter with Ledger because he gave what was quite possibly the best performance the franchise has ever seen. It wasn't like people just got over it, Heath Ledger made them get over it with a performance that had people talking. If he had approached that role like he was shooting 10 Things I Hate About You 2, you better believe people would STILL be taking shots at him. Just like people still take shot at all the shitty Batman miscasts throughout the years.

Are people so repulsed by Ben Affleck that they're not going to go see the movie? Likely not (although, his casting does cheapen it a bit). In fact, I don't really think that's the discussion - of course people are going to get over it and go see the movie. But Ben's got his work cut out for him if he wants people to leave that theater thinking he was a good Batman. Personally, I don't think he has it in him.

 

[triplestation]

grizzled batman in his 40s

this is it

not

 

[Alienous]

I desperately hope this is a scene in the upcoming movie.

Fuck. Dat.

This is where it's at!

 

[Mariolee]

Snyder directing, Goyer with script ideas, and Affleck actually creating the actual screenplay would be incredible. Goyer can't write dialogue for shit.

*Supes and Lois kiss for the first time*

Supes: You know what they say about the first kiss, it's all downhill from here (or something like that)

WHO SAYS THAT AFTER THEY KISS? WHO?

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Personally, I don't think he has it in him.

Okay, but that's pretty different from trying to frame the controversy that's popped up over the past two days as being something that is vastly different from what happened with either Ledger or Keaton - responses which were, still, more nasty and loud than what's happening now, with much less of a pushback from those willing to give them a chance than what's happening with Affleck.

NOBODY thought Keaton was going to be good, and nobody thought Burton was a solid pick. People were expecting a wacky comedy from the guy who did the Pee-Wee movie, starring Mr. Mom.

I'm willing to say the bar Affleck has to leap is a lot lower than the one Ledger had to clear. Jack's performance as Joker didn't age all that well, and Ledger's choice to go a completely different direction VERY much helped him. Affleck has to essay an already established Batman as a supporting character in a movie that isn't focused on him.

Snyder directing, Goyer with script ideas, and Affleck actually creating the actual screenplay would be incredible. Goyer can't write dialogue for shit.

*Supes and Lois kiss for the first time*

Supes: You know what they say about the first kiss, it's all downhill from here (or something like that)

WHO SAYS THAT AFTER THEY KISS? WHO?

Nobody's ever said this. Not a single person.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

dp

 

[Alienous]

Snyder directing, Goyer with script ideas, and Affleck actually creating the actual screenplay would be incredible. Goyer can't write dialogue for shit.

*Supes and Lois kiss for the first time*

Supes: You know what they say about the first kiss, it's all downhill from here (or something like that)

WHO SAYS THAT AFTER THEY KISS? WHO?

Having Affleck attached to the project so early, I am hopeful.

Fuck, get Kevin Smith. I'd prefer Batman to piss his pants than to compliment Superman's glasses, or some hokey shit like that.

 

[PsihoPerihelion]

He's still riding the love wave from Argo. No one cares at the studio if the internet hates this idea.

It would be exciting to have Affleck directing instead of Snyder, who can't direct shit about shit, based on the novel Shit by Sapphire. Replace Goyer too, please.

Affleck is the lesser evil of that soon-to-be-franchise. You know that.

 

[Router]

Funny, now my money is on Affleck directing The Justice League film.

 

[SuperAndroid17]

grizzled batman in his 40s

this is it


not

Aragorn? really?


lol

 

[Mike Works]

Posted/verified?

Snyder approached Affleck months ago, reports THR. Affleck would not take on this role unless he had some say in how this script turns out. He will have a strong hand at Warner Bros., which backed him on "The Town" and the Oscar-winning "Argo" and is invested in telling the town he's sticking around the studio. Affleck signed for multiple pictures. If this works out he'll have a major franchise to play with for years ahead. And a major studio where he can hang his hat, as his hero Clint Eastwood has done for decades.

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompson...-is-the-new-batman-in-snyders-superman-batman

 

[Alienous]

Posted/verified?



http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompson...-is-the-new-batman-in-snyders-superman-batman

Maybe Affleck wants to sit in the directorial chair for Justice League?

 

[RJT]

Posted/verified?



http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompson...-is-the-new-batman-in-snyders-superman-batman

That's actually good news.

 

[Vice]

grizzled batman in his 40s

this is it


not

Viggo is too old. Affleck will be in his early-mid-40s by the time Batman/Superman is done.