It's official. Ben Affleck will direct and star in a standalone Batman film for Warner Brothers. The studio made it official Cinema Con today that the star of this spring's "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is taking the reins of the Batman solo series and will produce his own story.
Two weeks ago, there was a story that Affleck had finished the script for the proposed film, but he was keeping quiet about the official word that the film was his to direct. That is no longer a secret. For fans of the Batman series, this is great news for a number of reasons.
First, Affleck has directed three gems. If he was a baseball player, he is three for three at the plate. "Gone Baby Gone" was a sleeper hit that gave new life to his brother Casey's career and was applauded by critics. "The Town" redefined the cops and robbers genre and was beloved by critics and fans. "Argo" was a hit at the box office and won Best Picture.
Affleck was wrongly snubbed for Best Director but gave a speech that inspired this film critic to make a shift about "never giving up". Nearly 15 years after winning an Oscar for co-writing "Good Will Hunting", Affleck was reborn on the Oscar stage.
He recently finished up work on his fourth directorial effort, "Live By Night" which centers around Prohibition and organized crime in the 1920's. It is the second Dennis Lehane novel(after "Gone Baby Gone") that Affleck is adapting for the big screen. That arrives later this year.
Second, Affleck was easily the best thing about "BVS" this spring. In a film that was overpacked and jammed full of DC heroes and villains, Affleck's take on Bruce Wayne and Batman stood out by a wide margin. He was the perfect age to play an older and more cynical billionaire crime fighter. When you left the film, all you wanted was more of the Fleck.
Third, WB wasn't being coy about this development. You saw glimpses of Affleck as the Bat in this August's David Ayer film, "Suicide Squad". During interviews for "BVS", Affleck talked about watching Zach Snyder closely so he could get a feel for directing a film this huge. Affleck was taking notes and is ready.
Batman has always been the preferred spotlight for Warner Brothers' comic book tentpoles. "Man of Steel" didn't draw well and Henry Cavill's Superman hasn't been critically slammed but doesn't leave moviegoers asking for seconds. The moody night hero is clearly the people's choice for DC.
I'd expect this film sometime in 2018. After the Justice League comes out next year, I expect Warners to slide projects around and get the Batman back into solo action. It would be the first solo Bat adventure since Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012.
If you judge your prediction on past projects, Ben Affleck's Batman should be a gem and make a ton of money.
