Details of Ben Affleck’s Batman Movie Emerge
Before Matt Reeves took command of Gotham City’s future, Ben Affleck was working on a Batman movie for the DCEU with the version of the Dark Knight he played in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League returning to the screen. While the details of Affleck’s Batman film have been sparse, some light was recently shed by one of his collaborators. Appearing on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, cinematographer Robert Richarson – whom Affleck hired to film the never-to-be Batman movie – said that Affleck’s script was “not a loved script,” and that it “was going more into the insanity aspects.” Delving a bit deeper, Richardson said:
“So I think you would’ve seen something a little darker than what we’ve seen in the past and more into the individual, who was inside Batman – what element may be sane and what element may actually not be sane. So he was entering into a little more of the Arkham, as you know, he’s going into where you keep everyone who was bad, everyone that shifted and Batman. And so that whole aspect was sort of, it was very fascinating to go to the darker side of Batman.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG25fl4Tgao
I’m not sure how to feel about the demise of Ben Affleck’s Batman film. I didn’t care for his portrayal of the character, and I liked the movies he was in even less, so I’m not exactly mourning the loss of that version of Gotham’s defender. I’d also rather Affleck do other movies; he’s an exciting filmmaker, and I don’t want to see him trapped into something like Batman after directing just four pictures. On the other hand, his concept sounds interesting. I like stories that explore the psychology behind Batman and his nemeses; I think it’s fertile territory to mine, and it’s one of the aspects of the lore that make Batman and his world so fascinating. For example, Tim Burton’s films delved into Batman’s psyche, as well as those of his villains, and suggested that there was little separating the two. I also like the idea of having Batman in Arkham Asylum among his foes, maybe having to face his own madness as he contends with theirs. That the DC/WB brass didn’t like this direction makes me wonder if they would prefer not to be too thoughtful, or if they want to get away from the darkness of the earlier DCEU movies. I hope we learn about Ben Affleck’s next directorial gig soon (and I can’t wait to see him as Holden McNeill again).
What do you think of the premise for Ben Affleck’s Batman movie? Would you have preferred his to Matt Reeves’ developing version? Should Kevin Feige call him about resurrecting Daredevil? (Okay, that’s just mean.) Let us know in the comments and stick around Geeks + Gamers for more movie news!
