Ben Affleck being cast as Batman in Man of Steel’s sequel is sweeping the entertainment world, and the biggest question is: Why did he decide to take the role?
The obvious reason is money, but Affleck is a veteran actor. While money is always important, he’s an Oscar winning director and screenwriter, which means he’s most likely more concerned with the quality of his work at this stage of his career.
According to THR, it was the multi-picture deal which Warner Bros. offered Affleck that sealed the deal.
Apparently the talks were so secretive that there were many Warner Bros. execs who were unaware that they even occurred. Reportedly, Ben was approached to direct Man of Steel, Justice League, and even asked by Fox to direct and star in a Daredevil reboot, but he declined all the offers.
The deal he apparently wanted was to star as Batman in Man of Steel’s sequel and a multi-picture directing/acting deal which will ensure that he and Warner Bros. remain a team for the foreseeable future.
The studio even approached other actors before Ben’s involvement, which included Josh Brolin, and Ryan Gosling. Gosling reportedly “dislikes the idea of sequels.”
Sources reported that discussions with Affleck started months ago and he was very concerned with character and story details and wasn’t willing to agree on terms until he had enough time with director Zack Snyder and writer David Goyer.
Once Affleck was happy with the details, he agreed to a multi-picture deal – which most likely includes acting and directing in future sequels including the Batman character, as well as stand-alone films.
What’s so surprising is that THR reports that The Dark Knight trilogy director, Christopher Nolan, had offered Ben Affleck a chance to direct Man of Steel.
Affleck declined, because he didn’t intend on returning to another comic book film after his negative experience with Daredevil back in 2003.
While the role remains a risk for Affleck, THR makes the point that since this will be a sequel to Man of Steel, if it were to fail, the burden of a flop won’t necessarily land squarely on Affleck’s shoulders.
While fans seem to be split on the casting choice, Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder clearly see something special with Affleck in the role of Batman.
We’re optimistic that if the script is solid, Ben is certainly capable of pulling off the difficult role along with Henry Cavill, who will reprise his role as Superman. Batman VS Superman’s release date is set for July 7, 2015.