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EW: Ben Affleck promises 'a more traditional Batman' in Justice League

L

LordOfLore

Banned
Link.

Justice League will mark Ben Affleck’s second feature film as Batman. Well, technically it’s his third. “Do I get credit for the Suicide Squad gross?” the actor laughs, joking (and underestimating) that he was onscreen for “less than 35 seconds” in last year’s supervillain team-up film. He’ll have a decidedly larger role when DC’s good guys mobilize in the November blockbuster, which unites Affleck’s Dark Knight and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman alongside Ezra Miller’s Flash, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman. (And maybe Henry Cavill’s Superman, if he’s not quite dead.)

That means Batman has to learn to work together with his fellow superheroes. “He’s put in this position of having to reach out, find other people, convincing them to do something,” Affleck explains. “Part of the drama of the movie is the question of whether or not the team is going to come together. It’s very different from the tenor of the last movie.”

And the character is very different, too. “BvS departed a little bit from the traditional Batman,” says Affleck. “He started out with all this rage directed at Superman, because of his coworkers who had died in the fight Superman had with Zod.” For Affleck, most of the hero’s ensuing actions were defined by barely-repressed fury – in contrast to the Batman we meet in Justice League. “He was holding on to a lot of anger, in a little bit of an irrational way,” Affleck says. “Whereas this is a much more traditional Batman. He’s heroic. He does things in his own way, but he wants to save people, help people.”

Affleck frames the new attitude as a return to a more classical incarnation of the Caped Crusader. “This is more in keeping with the canon of how Batman’s usually been portrayed, and how he’s portrayed vis a vis the Justice League in the comics,” he explains. “This is more the Batman you would find if you opened up your average Batman comic book.”

“Not that it’s average,” Affleck clarifies. “I think it’s a really cool story. Actually, it’s sort of a story about multilateralism. It’s not a bad theme to have!” Hey, if the universe’s moodiest billionaire can learn the value of collaboration, there’s hope for us all.
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S

SpaceWolf

Banned
So he won't go out of his way to murder and mutilate criminals then?

Happy Warner Brothers realized their mistake, I guess.
 
M

massoluk

Banned
SpaceWolf said:
So he won't go out of his way to murder and mutilate criminals then?

Happy Warner Brothers realized their mistake, I guess.
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That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood, I could ignore the kill in TDK, just stop with Batman killing
 
C

chefbags

Member
massoluk said:
That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood.
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Yeah I mean I know batman is practically grim dark but goddammit can he just not kill a person in one movie at least once lol.
 
D

DecoReturns

Member
massoluk said:
That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood, I could ignore the kill in TDK, just stop with Batman killing
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He killed that garbage truck driver in TDK. Just ran the tumbler right into it.
 
E

eizarus

Banned
massoluk said:
That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood.
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Lol he's killed in the comics too. People (especially on GAF) can't handle the fact that these superheroes contradict their own principles all the time, and start chanting "not muh Batman". Having said that, more traditional would be a welcome thing.
 
C

Corronchilejano

Member
massoluk said:
That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood, I could ignore the kill in TDK, just stop with Batman killing
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wp-1478760285544.jpg
 
S

Sgt. Kabukiman

Banned
By more traditional, hopefully he's talking about Keaton Batman. Meaning that this Batman will still be a violent murderer, but at least he'll crack a smile once in while after strapping a bomb to someone and throwing them in the sewer. That's the happy and well-adjusted Batman that I need.
 
DiscoJer

DiscoJer

Member
Corronchilejano said:
wp-1478760285544.jpg
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Well, yeah, he started off as a ripoff of The Shadow, who killed dozens of crooks a story and just because he developed a taste for killing in WW1, not out of revenge or anything.

But Batman developed a different personality over time. (And even The Shadow backed away from his murderousness, at least in radio and on screen where he was turned into almost a comedy in the 1940s and dumping the Kent Allard WW1 veteran origin in favor of Lamont Cranston bored playboy one)
 
B

Bleepey

Member
Sgt. Kabukiman said:
By more traditional, hopefully he's talking about Keaton Batman. Meaning that this Batman will still be a violent murderer, but at least he'll crack a smile once in while after strapping a bomb to someone and throwing them in the sewer. That's the happy and well-adjusted Batman that I need.
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It's only a crime when Snyder does it.,
 
Caayn

Caayn

Member
VAD said:
It's amazing how hearing his mother's name can change a man
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When taken fully out of context, sure. It's not necessarily his mother's name, it's the trigger that makes him realize why and what they're fighting for.
 
S

Sanjuro

Member
BatFleck was embarrassing in the other films so far. I need a Batman that I can trust, one that I can bring home to ma.
 
Q

Q8D3vil

Member
Reading marvel now (just reached dark reign) and i love how they are not afraid to kill skrulls in secret invasion without a second thought.
DC is lame when it comes to that (except injustice).
Fuck the no kill rule.
 
B

BrassDragon

Member
“Part of the drama of the movie is the question of whether or not the team is going to come together. It’s very different from the tenor of the last movie.”
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Really? That's the best they could come up with? Is that supposed to be a tense, uncertain arc? I just came off Guardians of the Galaxy 2 where they also went back to that well after the first movie and it's getting groan-worthy. It barely held up in the first Avengers movie. Nobody seriously believes the band of colourful characters is going to fall apart in the face of an end-of-the-world level threat.

I'm not the biggest fan of Civil War but at least it tried to do something different with its hero team-ups.

Oh well, guess the execution counts more than the concept.
 
C

crackhead_bob

Member
I really hate the Bat sigil they've been using in this current line of films. I can't be the only one who's said this. Yes, I know it's based on the Frank Miller design, but maybe it goes to me not being fond of the Dark Knight Returns to begin with. I've only recently come to accept the more traditional symbol as seen in the comics and the Nolan films, but my favorite has always been the old 1988 version. I never minded the current symbol, I just felt that it was a regressive iteration -- or something Batman would have used during his initial tenure. The DKR is just plain ugly, and it doesn't do Ben Affleck any favors either.
 
D

Discotheque

Banned
crackhead_bob said:
I really hate the Bat sigil they've been using in this current line of films. I can't be the only one who's said this. Yes, I know it's based on the Frank Miller design, but maybe it goes to me not being fond of the Dark Knight Returns to begin with. I've only recently come to accept the more traditional symbol as seen in the comics and the Nolan films, but my favorite has always been the old 1988 version. I never minded the current symbol, I just felt that it was a regressive iteration -- or something Batman would have used during his initial tenure. The DKR is just plain ugly, and it doesn't do Ben Affleck any favors either.
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nah. I like TDKR and think it worked well on comics. but it does look like a fat piece of crap at times on the live action costume.

wish they went sleeker. both in his symbol and the suit. i like the texture and color of the whole thing tho.
 
S

Sojgat

Member
Wait, they're going to make movie Batman like the Batman from the comics? They're not going to have him branding and murdering everyone, and generally acting like a total moron and trying to stab Superman to death with a giant fucking kryptonite spear? And Warner Bros are trying this groundbreaking approach after only nine movies? After only 30 years, they're already going in this revolutionary new direction?

tfxHhhB.gif
 
F

Fancyarcher

Member
But I thought Batman killing criminals was just too "fun" to pass up. This news is fine by me.

DecoReturns said:
He killed that garbage truck driver in TDK. Just ran the tumbler right into it.
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I'll have to rewatch that scene again, but I'm pretty sure there was nothing to suggest that the driver was actually directly in the truck during that scene.
 
T

Tunesmith

formerly "chigiri"
Fancyarcher said:
But I thought Batman killing criminals was just too "fun" to pass up. This news is fine by me.



I'll have to rewatch that scene again, but I'm pretty sure there was nothing to suggest that the driver was actually directly in the truck during that scene.
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The driver was in the garbage truck at the time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIXNpt51Id0

There's even a split cut right before the impact showing the driver's reaction to the collision. (~1:44)
 
I

Inferno313

Banned
Litan said:
Uh-huh. MoS ends with Super-Man screaming in anguish because he was forced to kill a Kryptonian. His very first scene in BvS he...kills a dude by smashing him through a couple walls at Superspeed.
You never know what you're gonna get with Snyder's storytelling.
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While that action moment is unclear, I don't think you're supposed to read it as a kill. Superman says in his next scene that he didn't kill anyone.
 
S

Sephzilla

Member
massoluk said:
That is all I want. He killed in Burton's films, he killed Ninjas and Ra in Begins, he killed Dent in TDK, he killed Talia in TDKR, he blew people up in BvS. Please, Hollywood, I could ignore the kill in TDK, just stop with Batman killing
Click to expand...

The only live action Batman who hasn't killed in his movie is George fucking Clooney in Batman and Robin.
 
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