By now most of you have heard or read or watched the announcement of the new Batman movie. Well, actually Batman and Superman.
With Batman being played by non other than Ben Affleck.
And while some of Hollywood cheered (they always love the come-back kids) the real audience are the Batman/Superman fans and they are not happy. Ben as Batman? Is he better than Christian Bale who played the last few Batman movies?
Before answering that, you have to know what I think of Ben Affleck. He's considered by most in the industry as lightweight as possible. In other words he can't really carry an entire movie for one reason.
He's not a good actor. In fact really not good.
Yes, he won the oscar last winter and he acted in it too. Ben is okay when there are other actors on the screen but he's shown over and over again that he can't carry a movie. Argo had a lot of good character actors like Alan Arkin and John Goodman and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston. Put those guys around Ben and he manages to almost hold up his end.
In other words, Matt Damon is the talented one.
Ben has played the main character in a few movies though. He played Jack Ryan in a Tom Clancy movie, The Sum Of All Fears and it didn't do well. There was Gigli, which was a real bomb and was a sign of his future. And then Daredevil, a big action movie like Batman that bombed even worse.
So what happens to actors who don't bring in the bucks for a studio?
Well, having Harvey Weinstein as a friend is a good thing. Weinstein and his brother made Good Will Hunting, which was written by Ben and Matt. Of course nobody mentions that a few of the best screenwriters in Hollywood reworked the original screenplay.
But Harvey is a good friend and that's how Ben began to direct. This is quite common among actors who realize that their acting days are usually numbered. So when they're hot, many always try to get directing gigs. Even Bryan Cranston has directed Breaking Bad, when you're hot you're hot.
And so Ben directed a few movies and then found Argo. As a Canadian I was a little upset that most of the movie was made up and that the participation of the Canadian ambassador was put way in the background. In fact if the Canadian embassy didn't do what they did the consequences would have been worse.
And to thank the Ambassador for his dangerous plan, Ben didn't invite him to the screening of the movie at the Toronto Film Festival.
So that's one reason I don't like Ben. Unless he buys one of my screenplays and then he's my best pal and most talented actor around.
Yes, we are a shallow lot, ready to sell out to the devil.
But back to Batman. What's going to happen now?
Well, for one thing the studio, Warner's, is going to introduce the actor to play Lex Luther. Remember Gene Hackman? He was great. Well, who do you think they're getting. Or do you know already?
But the comic book fans, and there are millions of them, are not happy with Ben for all the reasons I gave and many more. And it doesn't help that the last Superman movie wasn't that great either.
So right now you have two actors, Ben and Brandon Routh. Remember him? No?
Then how would you like to spend $200 million dollars on both of those guys being the lead heroes?
And a fan base that already doesn't like them.
And finally, another reason I don't like Ben is that he's married to Jennifer Garner.