On Thursday I saw Captain America: Civil War and it was everything Batman vs. Superman was not. The plot made sense, it had levity and humor and it moved fast enough to be interesting. Without revealing spoilers, well known superheroes were reintroduced in a way that seemed fresh and new. It wasn’t just a rehash of known backstories punctuated by dream sequences and stuff blowing up. Most people agree with me, the film is at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and it cleaned up at the box office. As Kaiser reported earlier, it’s the fifth biggest box office opening of all time although it does need to do incredibly well to make up for its huge budget.
Now that Civil War has come out and is generally superior to BvS in both box office numbers and reviews, there’s a new story confirming what we’ve suspected all along – that Affleck was very upset at the negative reviews of BvS. This isn’t just a rumor and seems to be well sourced because The Guardian has picked it up. What’s more is that Affleck and his co-writer, Argo screenwriter Chris Terrio, are going to rework future DC scripts, and Affleck has been named an executive producer on Justice League, filming now. Director Zach Snyder is being “edged out”:
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck has become executive producer on the already-filming Justice League movie.
Affleck and writer Chris Terrio are going to shape up the script to make sure it’s something people might actually want to see. Once filming is complete, Affleck will have some say in post-production concerns. This means Affleck is now creatively involved in the film on a very real level.
Hold up, the red phone is ringing. Oh hey, it’s Devin Faraci, who has this to add:
“My sources have told me that Affleck was incredibly unhappy about the reception of BvS. He felt humiliated after spending so much of the press tour saying how much better this film would be than Daredevil. On top of that his agent was furious when Kevin Tsujihara jumped the gun and announced him as the director of The Batman – there were still negotiations happening.”
This move seems to help placate Affleck while also edging Zack Snyder out of a controlling central position in the DC Movieverse.
This is just the latest step in an ongoing shakeup at Warner Bros in response to Batman v Superman’s poor reception… While it’s certainly fascinating to see played out in public like this, the bottom line is a hope that these movies will actually get good. With the help of Affleck, an honestly talented filmmaker, that comes closer to being a reality.
[From Birth.Movies.Death via The Guardian]
When Affleck was promoting BvS he explained how Snyder storyboarded the plot for him and sold him on his vision for the movie. I would argue that it wasn’t executed in a way which was audience-friendly, although some comic fans have said they liked it and that it was true to the source material. Now Affleck is stepping in to save the day, and to try to make DC viable competition to Marvel. They have a lot of catching up to do and obviously they realize that given the timing of this story. We’ll have to see how Suicide Squad does when it’s out in August.
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and their kids are shown getting a train from Paris to London on 5-8-16. Credit: FameFlynet. Graham Norton screenshot from WENN
I just saw BvS last night
I usually love all Superhero movies (all included, don’t care about one fandom vs the other) and find excuses for them when they are not worthy – but that movie was absolute crap. My goodness I was so disappointed. I had read all the criticism saying how bad it was, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad.
DC needs to step it up, big time.
Saw it Saturday and completely agree. Every time I thought it was finally ending, it just. Kept. Going.
I wanted a cigarette SO BADLY after that Martha nonsense, despite the fact that I haven’t smoked or wanted to smoke in over two years.
It was either smoke or blow my top at how utterly stupid it was. I’m still fuming at how my intelligence was insulted by Hack Snyder and I had to pay for it.
BvS was Alright, I admit it was not that great. but saying it was absolute crap is senseless. I’m beginning to Think Marvel is paying online trolls to diss BvS.
well, he is a more capable director/scenewrangler than he is an actor, so i’m much more receptive to this turn of events. no knee-jerk “criiiiiinge” as when he was announced as Batfleck.
but i still contend that this reboot of Batman is too fast, considering that it is following on the heels of Batbale.
I don’t recall Affleck ever mentioning Daredevil during the press tour for BvS and I feel like I saw most of it. So what is Faraci talking about? Does anyone have a video or something? That movie was so long ago who even remembers or cares? As for him being humiliated well, more actors/directors/producers should feel humiliated when they turn out a bad product. Most just seem to shrug it off. Seems like BA is planning to make many, many movies as Batman (yay!) and wants them to be films that he can be proud of. Why Snyder was entrusted with so much power is like, beyond all comprehension. He sucks, dude. I have a feeling that David Ayer will be given more trust when Suicide Squad is a huge hit.
I dont know if theres a clip of him discussing Daredevil during this press tour but its long established Affleck is way too preoccupied by what people say or think about him. Not just his career too, his private life as well. I 100% believe Faracis sources if they are saying Ben needed soothing as well as the promise of greater control.
Not that I think that will work. The Superman and Batman well is already poisoned.Plus if suicide Squad flops then I cant see Wonder Woman saving the day. Lucky for DC, this is exactly the kind of fare that Will Smith markets well. The execs must be praying hard for Suicide Squad to be both critically and commercially successful.
It almost seems like Affleck is preoccupied with wanting a good superhero franchise. Maybe he caught the bug after Daredevil sucked and all the other Marvel films took off. But it’s as though he wants this as a “re-do” to prove himself.
The Snyder thing confuses me too. Why entrust a franchise/studio worth potentially billions of dollars (both investment and earnings) to one single auteur-esque creative director? If the audience doesn’t glom on to that individual’s vision, you’re pretty much SOOL and have to start over. Marvel wasn’t nuts enough to do so (I think of Feig as a creative manager, not a ‘creative director’ like at a theatre festival), and their movies-by-committee approach is really working out for them.
I suppose DC looked at Nolan’s Batman series and decided “hey, let’s hand our creative universe to another relatively untested auteur, look how well it worked the first time!” Only Snyder just isn’t a storyteller. And for movies like these, you need directors who are competent storytellers.
@Teacakes
But Synder is not “another relatively untested auteur”. He is not an auteur at all by any definition and he has been given comic book movies to direct in the past and failed massively. Time and time again. He should be directing visual product like music videos or ads for video games.
But due to his White male privilege studios keep giving him big projects to direct no matter how many times he fails. Men of color or women would not even be given a second chance after one failure. But he failed at least three times and got another chance with an even bigger project. Funny that people are shocked it didn’t work out yet again. LMAO.
@Original T.C. – you’re right, he really isn’t an untested auteur at all, and his string of fails netting him yet another massive movie franchise’s money to burn is only possible in a world of white male privilege.
He needs to eat some humble pie and get the hell away from any major movies.
Ben made those comments very early in the publicity camapign for BvS, when it was still in production in Detroit. He jokingly said he would be out campaigning himself if he thought BvS would be another Daredevil.
Will he be making many Batman flicks? He’s already well up into his forties, he’ll be 45 when he films the standalone Batman. These movies take nearly two years to make. I can’t see a fifty-year old Batman even if Ben hits it out of the park.
He’ll do the standalone piece and perhaps a sequel to it, if it does well. But he’ll hang up the cape & cowl for someone younger and perhaps direct the movies after that.
Actually, moving to an older batman might be a smart move. The comics cover Robin stepping in for a retiring Batman, and this story line has never been on the screen – it would be a good way to continue bringing new life into Batman without retreading the same tired origin story.
As he should be. He should feel embarrassment and shame. Although, I will say, there was way too much hype about Affleck being a bad Batman. I thought he did fine. It was the script, plot, and everything else (but Wonder Women 🙂 ) that sucked.
He’s honestly my fave Batman/Bruce Wayne. I think he finally found roles that suit him perfectly. I think he killed it and deserved a better movie.
In terms of favorite, maybe it’s due to nostalgia, but I’m still a Keaton fan. Although, I haven’t seen the 90s Batman movies in a while. But I could see Ben working his way up to favorite. He was given poor material, but he did that material well.
@HH – Always Keaton for me too.
But Affleck did an OK job, surprisingly.
@HH I actually tried to watch Burton’s Batman a couple of months ago and turned it off. It is very dated. I remembered it being better than that. I like Keaton and Bale as people better than I like Affleck but I do think that he does these roles better than them.
I like BvS and thought they stuck true to who Batman really is. Affleck is now my favorite Batman beating out Keaton. I got the movie, I understood it and it entertained me, that’s all I wanted out of a comic book movie.
Not sure about Batman, but Affleck nails my mental image of Bruce Wayne. To a T. I liked Affleck’s version of Bruce so much better than any of the campy frauds, Keaton, and even Bale’s (but I’ve only seen his first Batman movie).
I agree. He deserved a better movie. He did well with the crap he was given but they need to just give him the driving seat for the next one
I know the Sadfleck vido was hilarious and meme-worthy but if anyone should be feeling shame and embarrassment over the giant pile of poo that was Batshit vs Supercrap, it’s Snyder, not Affleck.
Batfleck was actually one of the good parts of said pile of poo, and his writing+directing the next round gives me hope for DC, more than that hack Snyder would have anyway.
I’m still confused as to why he took this on. I guess he’s as big a comic book fan as they say? Did he need money for the divorce?
When Bale did it he was an indie darling but barely a name. It gave him box office and a major salary upgrade. RDJ, Chris Evans, Hemsworth…all were different kinds of nothing when they went comic book (and it’s questionable if they’re anything without it!). But Affleck? He didn’t need it. I wouldn’t doubt there are some second thoughts!
My guess is Affleck sees it as a role to macho him up and make him a beef cake in our eyes. It’s too late for that with him. His talent lies in drama/comed. He is not super hero material. I think it’s safe to say we can’t imagine anybody other than RDJ playing Iron Man nor can we picture anybody other than Evans playing Captain America, even Renner has totally made The Hawk his as has Jackson as Fury. Because they are talented multi-dimensional actors. Sorry, but Affleck is one tone only. My point is, I think Affleck just plain wants to be a super hero really bad and won’t admit to his limitations. His continued efforts and even promotion within the production is going to ruin Warner Bro’s entire attempt at the DC universe.
The majority loved Ben as Bruce Wayne and as Batman. So you may think he was wrong, but most fans are very on board with Ben coming back as Batman and are excited for him to direct it and write it.
No Jayna, no we are not.
Thanks to Marvel, superhero films are the best thing in Hollywood right now if you want exposure and – in case of major roles – years of regular work. Also the quality has increased so it’s no longer a genre for has-beens and unknowns. All sorts of celebrities are signing up. There are rumors of Cate Blanchett in Thor 3. Come on!
Trouble is, not all films make it. I’m not sure why he’s so bummed, tho. He was more or less praised for it (nobody says it’s his fault, unlike with Snyder, Goyer, Eisenberg, even Terrio) and actors have movies failing all the time. I’d think they have thicker skins.
But Cate Blanchett is collecting a quick paycheck in a supporting role. That I totally get.
Affleck though is committing himself to having a tremendous amount of his time and effort consumed by comic book movies when he a) doesn’t seem to need the money, and b) can get projects green lit already. It’s just a very odd career move but I agree with the posters who think it might be an ego thing.
EGO! He did it because he hoped it would erase Daredevil from everyone’s memory. He wanted to prove to people that he could do the superhero gig.
Well, it worked for Ryan Reynolds. From awful Green Lantern to an awesome Deadpool.
Honestly… look I’m not an affleck fan, but the movie was good. For actual comic book lovers and comic book movie lovers the movie was really well received. It was an audience movie! I don’t understand what everyone disliked about it. It wasn’t as flashy as Marvel, sure but it was still a good movie. I wish people would stop comparing the two, they have very different audiences and intentions.
I thought the writing was terrible
I disagree. The intention is to get people in the theaters. People will show up to a poorly reviewed film the first time and if they like it, show up the next time, too. They won’t keep showing up for a bad product. As for the “audience,” big budget superhero films cannot be sustained by comic book fans alone. They have to walk a fine line between honoring the source material and its fans and being appealing to a mass market. BvS didn’t do that. If they can’t get it right for more of the audience with the next film, I don’t see the franchise continuing.
After taking off my “Marvel lenses” and viewing it, I get why the comparison irks people. However, there are two things that stood out to me (especially after seeing Civil War—sorry), the pacing of the film and character introductions. Despite them not wanting to be compared to Marvel, they clearly (and hurriedly) introduced the Justice League, letting us know they intend on doing the full franchise, just like Marvel has with the Avengers and individual character movies. DC could have at least done better with that. It all felt too rushed and basically felt like they were saying “We’ll be on the lookout for more of your money.” Marvel is also clearly doing this, but WAYYYYY better. Also, yes DC has a darker feel to the plot/film, but that doesn’t mean it needed to drag on the way it did. And the plot and script writing left a lot to be desired. I don’t mind that it was supposed to be “less comedic” and other non-Marvel attributes. The point is, DC should have found their lane and did it well, and I disagree that they did that.
I agree!
Thought the movie was AMAZING! And all the genuine comic book fans were impressed with it! Screw the critics!
Except it wasnt an audience movie, because it didn’t do well with audiences. It has a CinemaScore of B, which is bad, especially for a blockbuster. All 4 Transformers films were better received by audiences! The extremely sharp drop off in box office sales after the first week shows that if there was word of mouth, it wasn’t good.
I agree @Cidy
As a fan of Marvel and DC, I thought BvS was a really good movie and they stuck true to character with Batman. Screw the critics are right. A critic never decides what film I should or shouldn’t see.
As the saying goes, “listen not to the critics who put there own dreams on the shelf.”
I enjoyed it as well. Way better than Iron man 3 and Age of ultron but Marvel always gets a pass.
He just doesn’t strike me as very intelligent or especially talented or creative. I’ll never understand his success.
He’s a white, tall, good-looking MAN. There will always be a spot for those like him, he doesn’t have to be talented.
He’s a talented director and a good actor in the right roles. And he won a Best Screenplay Oscar with Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting which was well deserved.
In interviews he seems fairly intelligent. He’s mediocre actor but a decent director.
Yeah he comes across as pretty intelligent, actually.
I think he’s talented and smart. He’s just miserable, or at least appears to be. How does he have more than 99% of of humans living on this planet and be so chronically unhappy? His misery face during pap family strolls really is one for the ages. So what if your movie sucked? Jesus, make another one and get over it. Or not. I suppose he still has room on his front for another phoenix tattoo.
Sorry. Feeling bitchy today. I just can’t muster Affleck sympathy at this moment.
You are spot on with your comment Cindy. He does seem so completely miserable and unhappy. He’s a man that has/had everything, but just doesn’t seem to be able to be happy. (I actually know someone like this- they sap and drain all the life out of you) no wonder Jennifer looks so haggard sometimes.
It’s pretty well established that he’s intelligent.
He is a fine director and actor. It’s difficult for me to get past his indiscretions. A lot of men/women are tempted by infidelity, but he acted on it. When I saw the pictures of he and Jennifer and the kids over the weekend, it made me mad. She went for the third and got him his son and that little boy looked about as happy as his father. Maybe he should worry more about his personal life and his professional life would fall together. This is not an easy going man and I would hate to be involved with him romantically, but there’s no going back now.
I think that if Jennifer Garner doesn’t make some effort , Affleck never would see his kids.I am sure that he loves his kids but after 5 min with them,he is bored .
I said it before and I’ll say it again, especially after seeing him with his kids in Paris, I think he secretly wishes his family would be gone forever, or that they never existed. He would probably do the happy dance if Jen died. Sorry I might offend people but he’s selfish and has proven that he’s not a good person.
Yep 100%^^^
To clarify, I was agreeing with Dontkillmeimfrench above, not Katy.
Affleck needs to step down. He will never be accepted as Batman because he just doesn’t have the charisma or the acting talent. I am one of the few who actually like Caville as Super Man and I like Gal as Wonder Woman. IMO, Affleck’s Batman is dragging them down. DC needs to lighten up on the battles and explosions and focus more on story, plot, humor, and good lines = script! And w/out Affleck. That’s not going to happen now. Being named Executive Producer only broker’s his role as Batman and that’s what needs to be changed. The script stank and Affleck stinks as Batman. Just accept it and stop trying to make him something he is not and in doing so, messing with Super Man who does fine on his own and Wonder Woman who would do fine on her own. The worst possible thing they could do at this point is drag other DC super hero’s into his drowning with a Justice League movie. I would love for movies to be made about Aqua Man, The Flash, and The Green Lantern, but not together in a Justice League movie yet and sure as heck, not with Affleck as Batman. Better to Introduce new super heroes in their own movies and build up to a Justice League movie like the Avengers did. We got to get to know the characters in their own movies before they ever banded together. Doing it backward only dooms whomever films with Affleck. Bummer.
He is widely regarded as the best Batman on film ever, even by the people who hated the film. He was Bruce Wayne from the comics personified. Besides, nobody needs that much charisma to play Batman. He is covered up from head to toe in that suit.
Thank you…..
Except he’s widely considered to have done a great job as Batman, within the limits of the film?!
Then why does every article about BvS pan Affleck as Batman? I haven’t heard anybody whose seen the movie, say they liked Affleck as Batman or that it was just a poor script. Everybody I know whose seen it didn’t like the script or Affleck.
And what does his suit covering him from head to toe have to do with charisma? The husky voice was way overly exaggerated, his stance and they way he carries himself was over the top. It was all over the top. My family, friends and I read alot of comic books back in the day. Ben Affleck is not a good Batman. To each their own.
RE: “DC needs to lighten up on the battles and explosions and focus more on story, plot, humor, and good lines = script!”>>>>> This seems like a request to make the DC Justice League movies into Marvel-esque films. That’s not what they are going for, and rightfully so. I enjoyed the darker feel, I just think the pacing is what made it seem absolutely dreary.
I feel like long-term, it would have been better for DC to hold off on all these movies for a while. Competing with Marvel at the top of their game, with the Nolan Batman trilogy not far behind them, launching everything off of a sequel to a really blah Superman…it just doesn’t seem like the right time. In 5-10 years the stories and approach would have seemed so much fresher after Marvel’s domination. This way it just seems like they were doomed to be the eternal runner up.
What a handsome handsome guy this man is.
Lol, are you serious?
I think this commenter is actually Ben Affleck. They claimed a bit further up that he is “widely considered” (by whom?) to be the best Batman ever.
Yes, I am.
Imo he is stunning. And he has always been hot, even when he is unkempt. He is the classic American beauty who looks like a greek god. That is why people are still obsessed by him tabloid-wise. He is the epitome of the handsome American male. His face is perfectly symmetrical. He is tall and manly. Has perfect skin, gorgeous eyes, and a famous jawline that people request from plastic surgeons.
And I do not care about the fact that he wears a wig. So does Beyonce.
I find him far more manly and attractive than the likes of Loki, Idris, Michael Jordan, Benedict, Fassy and Thor, and loved and admired his looks since Pearl Harbor. In fact, I do not see what is special about any one of those guys that the internet loves nowadays.
Different folks, different strokes.
Watch his recent Graham Norton interview. Nobody was looking at Henry Cavill when Ben’s gorgeous face was in the frame.
“They claimed a bit further up that he is “widely considered” (by whom?) to be the best Batman ever.”
—————————
rottentomatoes critics, the vocal imdb members, and other online superhero comic geeks. As Batman and Bruce, he was much better than Keaton, Kilmer, Clooney and Bale.
For the first time ever, Batman looked like Batman. You may hate the guy for cheating on his wife. But saying he himself was not stellar in that film is about as feasible as saying he also has blue eyes, green hair, a tail and a third arm.
um yeah…he’s a greek god, a classic American beauty, handsom, symmetrical, blah blah……and, dude has a lateral lisp. Sorry, but anybody with a lisp will never be Batman.
As for Caville v. Affleck – that is truly laughable. Caville is stunning! He may be gay or he may be a cradle robber, but dude is gorgeous and his gorgeous is what is classic – strong bone structure, beautiful eyes, masculine, great hair, and posture. But you like lispy mooby greystroke….whatever.
Haha. This does make me laugh. If he’s your type there is no judgment but the gushing is hilarious.
Who cares about his feelings? The movie was a bomb. Move on and stop crying about it. You got paid millions so don’t act like a child with you “feelings”. Ugh can’t stand him or his new face.
Exactly! Cry moar tears, Batfleck.
He banged the family nanny and in doing so, hurt and humiliated his wife, ripped his family apart, ruined everything – all for an ego boost from a “mediocre”. But his feelings are hurt because his film did poorly. Uh huh.
Oh, Ben. That’s why you don’t create something just for the accolades. Argo wasn’t that great either.
Yeah as someone who also saw Civil War last weekend, holy crap was that a well produced film. I echo another commenter who doesn’t understand why he even took this role.
I remember back when this was in development and I scoffed telling a friend the film had better be amazing or Acleck would never hear the end of it. Everyone knew it. Every media personality and radio host said it. If this film doesn’t clinch it will hurt his ego and rep.
Looks like it ended exactly how I predicted.
I saw about half of BvS and lost interest.
I think a big part of the problem for DC is that it’s trying to hard to be Marvel. Marvel can be gritty because Marvel Comics has always had a foot in the real world and has always had a dark tone. DC on the other hand Batman aside has always been lighter and happier, I mean look at the panels, always these bright highly saturated colors and simplicity concerning the heroes. I think DC could benefit from a female director or some one who is good at camp, who has strike the right balance of what DC is supposed to be, which for the most part is a lot of frothy fun.
What a knob. We know he’s not so thick as to actually have believed that this would get critical acclaim. He room for the big fat paycheque and is now pretending to be butthurt that no one liked his acting? Get real.
Lol. Ben seems to be the only one who didnt see the awful reviews coming. As soon as the first tráiler came out, everyone knew this movie would be a flop with critics.
Ben is a great scriptwriter and director. He knew the problems in this and why the film was held back and reshot in places. He knew I imagine, but he was the actor, not the writer or director, and it wasn’t his baby..
Plus, Ben is getting great accolades as Batman and as Bruce Wayne. He’s happy enough because of that, as there were many critics of his casting, and plus the movie didn’t lose money. This will light the fire under him to make sure his Batman movie is great.
According to the film industry. he is a pedestrian director.
If you have read the Forbes analysis of BvS, they didn’t make the money they expected to make. It was not close to what they projected. In terms of box office results, it was weak.
I read he was rewriting his scenes daily, so he was in fact acting as a pseudo writer/direction and WB/DC approved of it. Industry folks already pegged him as writing/directing of his Batman franchise, the only surprise is JL. And really that isn’t a surprise after the panning BvS took.
And he completely denied it. He even said in a different interview it was enjoyable to act again and leave it at that and not have the added responsibility of writing and directing where everything is on your shoulders.
Ben responds to the rumor in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“On a lighter note, a reporter asked Affleck to comment on a rumor that he was rewriting the Batman v Superman script in his bat suit during production (never mind that Affleck has no writing credit for the picture).
“That is the dumbest rumor,” said Affleck, who co-wrote the Oscar winner Good Will Hunting. “I just like how if I was gonna go write, I would put on this bat suit first because it’s so comfortable to write in. I didn’t rewrite anything in any outfit, my underwear or otherwise.”
This I agree with, but acting. No way.
What they dont seem to understand is that no one wants another fkin batman movie. It’s like eating a fried chicken wing that has been rinsed with tap water. Ugh
Marvel > DC any day of the week. Suicide Squad will do well because people LOVE the Joker.
Bale is hands down the best Batman. Followed by Keaton, then Kilmer (no really – he and Nicole Kidman were great together in Batman Forever).
You killed me when you typed Kilmer. Seriously?
Come on…
You’re joking.
“My sources have told me that Affleck was incredibly unhappy about the reception of BvS.”
Holy mac, the PR for the next Batman films has already started. You can bet “my sources” was the man himself or his publicist.
I loved BvS!! Finally saw THE Dark Knight I always hoped to see.
I liked that it is darker then Marvel, that’s it’s more ”adult” oriented.
I would like to see a little more chipper Sups, maybe in the future we will see that.
I saw both CA:CW & BvS; Captain America was the better movie. As for Ben Affleck being a great Batmam, well Affleck’s presence did put BvS over the 1 billion mark. I’m not comfortable with Affleck having creative control. This movie is suppose to be about the Justice League – seven superheroes (well one super-heroine and a regular guy who dresses as a bat.) In Affleck’s hands this movie will be a Batman sequel with Batman getting the best lines, scenes, etc. While some like Affleck’s Batman, some felt Superman was short shifted in this movie and Wonder Woman came unfashionably late to this party. Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg (forgot no. 7) may end up as bit players. Justice League needs to show balance in the character dynamics or this movie could get bad WOM too.
Let’s face it. Affleck is afflicted with a lack of charisma and while Henry Cavill has the looks, that’s all he has. He has no substance. He is only good for playing a co-star, as he did in the Tudors. I can’t believe that there is a sequel in the works (to this film).
I couldn’t be bothered downloading the film for free, never mind paying for it.
And that interview with both actors. A total cringefest.