Ben Affleck Is The New Batman

Wesley Emblidge ’17 / Emertainment Monthly Staff

According to The Wrap, Warner Brothers has selected Ben Affleck to take over as Batman in their untitled Man of Steel follow-up that will bring the two characters head to head in 2015. Affleck’s name was rumored to be under consideration, but it was never one I took all that seriously. When his career started to tank after movies like Gigli, Jersey Girl and Daredevil, Affleck eventually ended up making the best career change we’ve seen in years: he turned to directing. He kept himself behind the camera with Gone Baby Gone, and although he ended up starring in the two other films he directed (The Town and Argo), he went from starring in some of the worst movies ever made to winning the Oscar for Best Picture a mere six months ago.

Still, Affleck the actor has been the worst part of most of the movies he’s starred in (most recently in Argo and To the Wonder), making this news somewhat disheartening. Man of Steel had it’s problems, but relative newcomer Henry Cavill as Superman wasn’t one of them, and I had almost hoped they might go a similar route for their new Batman.

Director Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel) however, is excited to work with him, telling The Wrap that “Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.”

Affleck will make his debut as the masked hero on July 17, 2015, and may continue on in separate Batman films or perhaps the much-rumored Justice League movie.