This morning, I woke up to read the news that Ben Affleck had been cast as Batman in the upcoming Superman/Batman live action film. This is very shocking to me for obvious reasons! I was not ready for this ulcer to occur...ugh!
What I am going to do with this blog entry is explain my reasons why this is NOT a good idea with a more open mind than "Daredevil." So, brace yourself folks, here comes my opinion on the new Batman casting!
Lets go all the way back to the late 80's to make my point...specifically, the press release of Tim Burton casting Michael Keaton as Batman in 1989. Yes, there was a lot of controversy on that one. First, you have to take a look at the public of the era and how they received their information on upcoming films. There was hardly any information at all. If you didn't subscribe to any of the L.A. based newspapers, the only information you got was from "Starlog" or "Fangoria" magazines. Back then, the writers of movie magazines had the public attention and that is where the controversy began to take shape in the American public.
During the 80's, Michael Keaton was an actor with a lot of television but very few films under his belt. Most of what he had done were in supporting roles with the leads being given to whomever was good for the role, or popular of the day. The most notable thing he had done back then was a series of comedies, most of which became nothing. However, there were two that helped define his style of acting in that genre, Beetlejuice and Mr Mom. This is where the public based all their attention on. Mr Mom was going to play Batman?!! WTS!! This was completely unfair of the public. To base future roles on a single film does a serious injustice to all actors. What the public did not see, probably because of the limited release, was a dark drama starring Michael Keaton called "Clean and Sober." This film is considered one of his best performances to date. The film centers around a drug addict who enters a rehab center to get away from legal problems only to discover that he needed to clean his life up. Director Glenn Gordon Caron got a very dark and riveting performance from Michael Keaton that the critiques love but the public never saw. In fact, he got a NSFC Award for his work in the film. Enter Tim Burton and his black comedy about an insane ghost who gets rid of people using his abilities from the netherworld.
Beetlejuice introduced the world to many new faces. Alec Badwin, Winona Ryder, just to name a few. Michael Keaton turned in a role that was very dark, moody and most of all dangerous! Beetlejuice was not a nice guy...er, ghost. He was borderline crazy and was convinced that he was doing the right thing for the spirit world. Add to this that all he wanted was to marry Winona Ryders' character, so he could live in the human world and you have a very manipulative character. Then you add all the different creatures he becomes in the film and you can see how dangerous he has the potential to become for the other characters.
Tim Burton probably saw "Clean and Sober" and thought it would be a great idea to cast Michael Keaton in his dark comedy about a supernatural "Human Buster." I would have to agree with Mr. Burton! The film was a huge success, for the day, and helped launch all kinds of careers with the most diverse cast. Michael Keatons' perfomance won him another NSFC award and his career took off like a rocket!
Tim Burton, hot off his success with Beetlejuice, decided to see if lighting could strike twice and cast Michael Keaton as Batman. This is where the public went "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" at first and then after the film came out, Michael Keaton was being praised as a great actor turning in a great performance. In fact, Batman went on to win multiple awards including an Academy Award for Best Set Design by, the late, Anton Furst. To keep this article short, I will not post all the awards and nominations that Batman received in 1989. To make my point, please check out the IMDB page where they do list them all:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895/awards?ref_=tt_awd
For that time period, there was only one other film based on a comic book that made that much money with such critical success, Superman The Movie directed by Richard Donner.
Now we go into, Batman Returns! Once again, Tim Burton in the Director's Chair with Michael Keaton starring in the lead role. This film introduces a love interest to Bruce Wayne and the villain being played by Danny Devito with Christopher Walken being the manipulator of the whole scenario. To be fair, I love the film but thought there was just too many stories going on to make it great. Enough said.
A few years later, Michael Keaton stepped off the role and passed it on to Val Kilmer. This time, Director Joel Schumacher turned out a near flop of a film. Was this because of Val Kilmer and the title role? No. Val Kilmer is a fine actor with a really damn good range of acting abilities. For those who doubt Val Kilmer, check out Spartan, Heat and Weird Science. Three movies with three completely different characters. The reason Batman Forever failed is because there were too many stories with too many people putting too much input into a film that had potential but collapsed before it began filming.
Val Kilmer gives way to George Clooney. I think just about everyone will agree that Batman & Robin was just plain awful. However, there were bright spots in the film. The conflict between Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson was pretty good! Also, casting Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze was a good idea but we never saw the real Mr. Freeze until the very end of the movie when he introduces himself as Poison Ivy's cellmate. Keep in mind that she tried to kill Victor Freezes' wife.
After that mess of a film, DC and Warner Bros. decided to take Batman back to his original dark roots. Something that Tim Burton tried in 1989 and almost succeeded.
Christian Bale, in a life changing performance, turns in the "younger" Batman.
Batman Begins takes a whole different direction and explains the years it takes for Bruce Wayne to become Batman. This evolution of this character is thoughtful. The casting is nothing but brilliant with a script that is almost a Shakespearean tragedy! However, Bruce Wayne will not give up and Batman enters the screen with all the dramatic flair of the comic books.
Two more films follow with Christian Bale in the lead role and the public is introduced to the method behind Bruce Wayne, to become a legend that others can follow! At the end of "The Dark Knight Rises," we catch a glimpse of a young man walking into the Batcave, his name is Robin.
Each of these men have turned in performances, some good some bad, that helped shape the various aspects of a very complicated character. Michael Keaton played the older, but not to old, Batman who has been around for awhile. His Batman was more seasoned and knew what was going on. Very little surprised Mr. Keatons' version of the character. Val Kilmer presented the rich, powerful, Bruce Wayne who took his job as Batman seriously, but had a value system that was confused and was in search of something to define his morals. George Clooney gave us the humble, wise guy, Batman. His version was more a man in desperation, trying to save is best friend. Christian Bale gave us a younger more brash Batman. His Batman was young, rough and full of "bringing the pain back to the criminals." To be honest, all the various characterizations are right...and all are wrong!
The character of Batman is a very complicated part to play. Tragedy runs in his past with more pain and sorrow on the way. This character has lost his parents, friends, allies and loves. Bruce Wayne is all about the mission of justice, very little else. Batman is all of the various interpretations at the same time! There is no one aspect that that could define how Batman truly is during his life.
What does all this have to do with Ben Affleck playing Batman? Everything!
Ben Affleck is a good actor with a so-so range. He does understand comic books and the meaning behind them, very well. I am reminded of a comment that Jennifer Garner said on the set of Elektra, "I wish Ben were here, he understands this." However, this does not mean that he can translate his understanding to the big screen. When you understand something, you can "infer something from information received." Sadly, in this world, very few people can actually translate what has been discovered, or learned, and pass it on to others in a form that can be understood. His string of failures come at the hands of other directors. Ben Affleck seems to only have the ability to pass on what he has learned, if he does it himself. The films he has directed have gone on to become successful, but he surrounds himself with actors that can pick up the slack that he fails to do. This is not the persona of an actor playing the most dynamic character in comics.
Since it seems that Ben Affleck is the final choice for Batman in the upcoming Superman/Batman film, I offer this advice to Mr. Affleck on his move back to comic book movies.
To Become Batman:
1. You have to throw out every portion of your personality. Nothing must remain. The "good guy" thing the press puts on you, the comic nerd. All of it must go.
2. You have to put your mind set in tragedy. You have to live like you will lose everything in a second.
3. You have to live like you have no friends or that no one understands you at all.
4. You have to approach others like your their best friend, all the while you are investigating their whole life. Your point is to put them in jail, for justice sake.
5. Noone can even come close to who you are in real life. Not a soul.
6. You see nothing but the worst in people, but still be able to smile for the cameras.
Can Ben Affleck do any of this? We have not seen it at all. In order for Ben Affleck to utter the words, "I...AM...BATMAN!!" he would have to turn in a performance for the ages, worthy of an Academy Award and spend the next six months, after filming, seeking professional help for stress. Why? Very few actors can pull that kind of performance out of themselves. Even fewer, can come out of it mentally healthy. Sadly, we have lost one actor to that kind of thing...may Heath Ledger rest in piece.
I wish Ben Affleck, Zach Snyder and Henry Cavill well with this future en-devour! In the back of my mind, I hope it works! I mean, come on...Superman/Batman...LIVE ACTION!! Holy box-office! I will anxiously await to see what happens and will be one of many to buy tickets!
-Icarus
