14 DAY TRIAL // If Ben Affleck thought he’d ruin Batman by starring in “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” he’d picket himself, joining the millions of fans who rose in outrage when Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder cast him as the famous Caped Crusader.
The actor has been busy promoting the thriller “Gone Girl,” directed by David Fincher, but he’s also been forced to talk a bit about Batman as well, even if that one doesn’t come out until May 2016.
From the start, he made it clear that he would not go into specifics because he wasn’t at liberty to do so, but he did discuss a bit the backlash that started online when he landed the part. He does that again in a new interview with NPR.
Affleck knows you hate the Batfleck, but promises you he’s not going to ruin the character
Batfleck (which is supposed to mean Ben Affleck as Batman) is still an idea that many Batman fans have to get behind of, but the actor is positive that they will do that when the movie comes out.
Most of those who hate the Batfleck hate him because Affleck also starred in the 2003 “Daredevil,” which is considered to this day one of the worst superhero movies of all times, “Green Lantern” included. For some reason, Affleck is deemed solely responsible for that flop.
“Batman V. Superman” isn’t “Daredevil Part 2,” he vouches.
“Indeed I have regrets about Daredevil. I have regrets about all the movies that I don't think were executed properly... Look, if I thought we were remaking Daredevil, I'd be out there picketing myself... and that goes for other movies as well that I haven't been happy with,” Affleck says.
“You know, I'm hard on myself and I have exacting standards and I want to do excellent work and I don't always succeed, but I think you have to start out with that drive,” he continues.
If that’s not enough to convince you, Affleck points out that “Batman V. Superman” is based on a script by Chris Terrio (“Argo”) and directed by Zack Snyder, who is “an incredibly magical sort of visual stylist who’s steeped in the comic world.” That’s a very fancy way of describing a director with such a distinctive style as Snyder, but he’s right.
“Batman V. Superman” has a lot of making up to fans to do
Even though immensely talented, Snyder did have some hit-and-misses, according to critics and fans. Of course, you can’t possibly please everyone in showbiz, but many still consider his “Sucker Punch” and even “Man of Steel” as his weakest releases to date.
Seeing how “Man of Steel” is actually the precursor of “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which will lay the foundation for the Justice League franchise, it’s clear that there’s a lot of pressure on this movie to do well at the box office – and not just for Affleck, but for Snyder and Warner Bros. too.
Still, Affleck is right in preparing himself like this for a release that will take place 2 years from now: should anything go bad with “Batman V. Superman,” chances are he’s going to take the fall for it, at least in the eyes of the fans. Moreover, his performance will be more harshly scrutinized than any other cast member’s – and he obviously knows it.
Speaking of other cast members, “Batman V. Superman” also includes appearances from Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Laurence Fishburne, and Holly Hunter.