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Ben Affleck wouldn't make a "mediocre version of Batman" for all the money in the world

By

Chris Begley

·

on Ben Affleck wouldn't make a "mediocre version of Batman" for all the money in the world

It's not about money, it's about sending a message...

That's basically what Ben Affleck told Entertainment Weekly, who featured him in their year end issue as one of their "Entertainers of the Year".

You recently finished shooting Justice League, and then you'll be writing and directing The Batman.

"I'm still working on the script. I'm not going to write and direct anything that I don't think is good enough to be made. I'm definitely going to make sure I have something that is special -- there's not enough money in the world to make a mediocre version of Batman worth it."

Affleck said something similar last week, but then just a day later admitted that he's on track to start shooting The Batman in the spring.

SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly (Dec. 16/23, 2016)

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146 comments

  1. nowain Avatar
    nowain

    good boy!

  2. Gabi RkZ Avatar
    Gabi RkZ

    Proves again that he really deserves to play Batman.

  3. Kouglof Avatar
    Kouglof

    Damn, he gives so much hope, he knows how to talk with Batman's fans.

  4. Carl Avatar
    Carl

    https://media.giphy.com/med...

  5. Batman Avatar
    Batman

    I think we should hope that for Wonder Woman, correct? Hoping for "The Batman" to be the first good DCEU movie means the predecessors must suck lol. I know what you mean, though.

  6. Knight Radiant Avatar
    Knight Radiant

    https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.... Bryce Dallas Howard for Poison Ivy.

    1. André Viana Avatar
      André Viana

      and Annabel Scholey as catwoman, she has great on I Medici! https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

    2. AnonymousHero Avatar
      AnonymousHero

      Thumbs up on that pick. Bryce works. Jessica Chastain works. Milla Jovovich works (if I didn't prefer her as Catwoman). Great pic up top of Bryce as Ivy.

    3. Rust Avatar
      Rust

      Holy hell. I can see it.

  7. Theclaw Yaww Avatar
    Theclaw Yaww

    well we SHOULD hope JL and WW but its most likely The Batman that will be the first good one

  8. Mario Avatar
    Mario

    WB: ..here's a shit load of cash, pick a girl as icing on the cake...we need the movie like right now..
    Ben:...
    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
    I bet he's been working on the idea and script since he signed the contract with WB to play Batman (the inclusion of Geoff only makes the 'icing on the cake'), this folks make long lasting deals, im also betting this was a personal square off for Ben, to get rid of that shitty Daredevil karma from his life, oh he got to do that and more....

    1. Foomankru Avatar
      Foomankru

      Daredevil Director's Cut is good.

      1. Mario Avatar
        Mario

        It is a better effort, i simply cannot stand that film, but its a matter of taste.
        From some interviews i've seen, it seemed Ben was carrying that one as a big scar, not Ryenolds/Lantern trauma, but close, he did got to be mocked for a decade, even to this point: https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
        https://uploads.disquscdn.c...
        I think we can all agree that he rubbed that one off his back.

  9. Mario Avatar
    Mario

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

    1. AnonymousHero Avatar
      AnonymousHero

      LOL!

  10. SB Avatar
    SB

    You can't make a bad Batman standalone movie even if you try your best... Unless you are Joel Schumacher

  11. AnonymousHero Avatar
    AnonymousHero

    Ladies and gentlemen... the Batman that we need and deserve. He gets it. When he talks like that and clearly has the mind for what it takes to take the Bat to the level of filmmaking, I can't help but feel that this will be not only the definitive Batman film but DC comics accurate as well with a freshness we've never seen before.

    Needless to say, but I have the highest of hopes for this film.

  12. OptimistPrime99 Avatar
    OptimistPrime99

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  13. Jcool Avatar
    Jcool

    They have been working on this since 2015. If they cant get this going by next spring then he just doesn't really want to do this.

  14. Halberdier17 Avatar
    Halberdier17

    It already happened both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman are great. Easily among my favorite films of all time list.

    Suicide Squad is the only DCEU movie that I feel isn't that good. It's fun to watch bur it isn't up to the level of quality as the other DCEU movies.

    1. OGmacrazy Avatar
      OGmacrazy

      Sure, you may like them, but they are not on that level of "best films of all time"... Not even close. Liking something is not the same as it being good. I fucking love Man of Steel, it's one of the movies I've watched the most (probably only loses out to Rocky, my all time favourite), but I aknowledge it's flaws and I know it has way too many issues, especially in the writing and directing for it to be an actual good movie.

      1. grayghost84 Avatar
        grayghost84

        He said favorite films of all time not best. BVS is my fav film of all time, but I'm not saying it's the Godfather or anything.

        1. OGmacrazy Avatar
          OGmacrazy

          Sure, I actually missed that, but he said "it already happened" when it really didn't. Man of Steel is without a doubt the best actual movie of the three, but it was very derivative, and without much substance. I'd love for it to have happened, and was very disappointed with what we got this year, but I'm hopeful for Wonder Woman at least.

          1. lolTengu Avatar
            lolTengu

            It's odd how varying the opinions on these DCEU movies can be within the fanbase. Of all the movies thus far (after seeing all three at least three times each) I'd say that the only one I thought was actually good was BvS. Man of Steel was meh for me (not a lot of substance as you said), Suicide Squad was below par (it got worse after each viewing imo).

            MoS - 5/10
            BvS - 8/10
            SS - 4/10

        2. Foomankru Avatar
          Foomankru

          BvS UE is a masterpiece for me. There is no other CBM that I can imagine watching and dissecting more than BvS. Maybe one day the consensus will understand that, but everyone has their own tastes.

          1. Foomankru Avatar
            Foomankru

            So what were your thoughts on the UE? It sounds like your issues were specifically with the theatrical cut. Also, I've never heard of anyone being bored with amazing aspects of a movie. That's mind boggling. Anyway, it's good to hear you say some positives about the movie. I absolutely love it. It's not for everyone but maybe time will do the movie well. The risk in story telling and characterizations makes it stand out from other films in the genre IMO.

        3. Ryan Avatar
          Ryan

          But that's what we want a decent movie with our favorite charaCters wit his wb it seems that's too much to ask

      2. Josh Morgan Avatar
        Josh Morgan

        well just because you like but still think its a bad movie doesnt mean other people dont like it and think its a good movie. YOur opinion is your opinion. I will counter you and say that, ya I recognized some of the flaws but I still think its a great movie. A movie can have flaws and still be good

        1. OGmacrazy Avatar
          OGmacrazy

          Of course it can, but you can like something that is not good. You can recognize that it simply failed in too many aspects for it to be a good movie, but still enjoy it. I'm a fan of these characters, so I'm always going to enjoy part of it, but I can't honestly say I think these are good movies, because they are systematically failing in too many aspects for me to consider them as such. And I want them to succeed, so I'm critical of them. Being critical is key.

          1. Josh Morgan Avatar
            Josh Morgan

            you can think whatever you want man. I wont tell you your opinion is wrong. But not everybody views it the same way

      3. YGtrece Avatar
        YGtrece

        Amen

    2. Ryan Avatar
      Ryan

      BAHhahahahahaahhahahahahaha bad thing is man Of Steel is prolly the best movie so far.. which is very very sad.

    3. jason todd Avatar
      jason todd

      AHHAHAHAHA this kid you must be 12 lmfao

    4. YGtrece Avatar
      YGtrece

      No they r so not great. Such bad movies...

  15. OGmacrazy Avatar
    OGmacrazy

    I'm really happy for having him directing and writing it. We all know he is passionate about movies in general, and has the capabilities of actually making a good movie, not just a good super hero movie, or a good looking movie. And at least, we know WB won't push him around. He has been working solely for them, as a director, and they don't want to lose him, much like they don't want to lose directors like Clint Eastwood (though that one's old now) or Christopher Nolan, since they bring a lot of oscar and award cred to the studio. Hopefully, this movie will break molds in the super hero genre and bring us the best film the genre has seen since The Dark Knight, but expectations need to be realistic!

    1. Foomankru Avatar
      Foomankru

      This is the most positive comment I've ever seen you make. Good job!

      1. OGmacrazy Avatar
        OGmacrazy

        I'm positive as fuck about things when I can, but when things look dire, I refuse to put on a fake smile and tell myself everything's ok. Gotta be realistic.

    2. FUN Avatar
      FUN

      Don't put any faith in it. The critics'll probably rip it to shreds, comparing it to the generic MCU "masterpiece" coming out that year, so troll sites can have something to write about, & Disney won't have to worry about the competition. Smear campaigns will start as soon as initial filmshootings of The Batman begins. No pun intended.

      1. OGmacrazy Avatar
        OGmacrazy

        Smear campaigns? Really? Wasn't The Dark Knight trilogy constantly praised? Isn't Superman The Movie one of the most beloved movies of all time, with one of the most recognizable theme music of all time? Isn't Batman a beloved and still talked about movie today?
        There is no anti-DC bias. These movies are divisive for a reason, and that reason is they have very questionable decisions, which happen for a reason: Zack Snyder.
        Super Hero movies, or any blockbuster should be always fun! Not funny, not have laugh out loud moments, but a fun movie, something you have fun watching. The Dark Knight, Inception, Gangs of New York, The Departed, and many other blockbuster movies are dark, but they are fun to watch, and DCEU movies have been extremely divisive on that front, because Snyder is obsessed with being dark for dark's sake, not because it serves the story or characters. Moments of levity are all found in any of the movies I refferenced, yet they lose nothing because of them, and they are extremely rare in DCEU movies (except Suicide Squad, though that movie failed because of an extremely amateurish script). Critics aren't soul-less people like DC fanboys paint them out to be. The world isn't black and white, and these critics are all also fans of these characters (more so than Marvel's, I guarantee you that), and they love movies, but they have their opinion, and they've watched a ton of movies that these movies should be compared to. The MCU movies are no masterpieces and most are very cookie cutter, but what they set out to do, they do it right. When you try to make too much and fail, you should be put at fault for that, and that's where DC movies have struggled. Tons of unresolved subplots, underdeveloped characters, and so on, do not help these movies. They might make them more "complicated" for people who don't watch many movies, and that can be a curse (or make fanboys think these movies are mosre sophisticated than they actually are).

  16. GaboPSN Avatar
    GaboPSN

    Good, can't wait for his movie, he said he wanted a noir-esque movie

    1. sandstorm v Avatar
      sandstorm v

      Great for us. 😁

    2. John Johnson Avatar
      John Johnson

      Long Halloween was one of several major influences for Nolan and company. I'm very curious from where Affleck is getting his. When I see "crime noir," I immediately think of Ed Brubaker. And since this is an older, coming-out-of-retirement Batman, I'm also curious if he's gonna add some "personal, first-active-duty history" elements in there.

      http://comicsalliance.com/f...

      1. John Johnson Avatar
        John Johnson

        That one might be a little hard to avoid. Nolan's was a major contribution to Batman's history, in my opinion.

        Regardless, I'm excited to see what Affleck establishes in his Batman world. Long Halloween has a lot of really cool stuff, and I wasn't suggesting he avoid it because of Nolan.

    3. OssamNin Avatar
      OssamNin

      Long Halloween or Court of Owls would be AMAZING.

      1. OssamNin Avatar
        OssamNin

        True that. Long Halloween it is then.

  17. OGDickGrayson Avatar
    OGDickGrayson

    Shit like this makes me wish Ben was directing Justice League. Sure it would probably be Batman-centric, but I'd take that over what we'll probably get (a Batman centric JL that isn't even very good under Snyder).

    1. Foomankru Avatar
      Foomankru

      Sounds like you've already made up your mind about a movie that we've only seen 2 minutes of.

      1. OGDickGrayson Avatar
        OGDickGrayson

        If it's good it's good. But judging by the last two Dceu films it won't be.

        1. Foomankru Avatar
          Foomankru

          Subjective. There's a lot of us out there that adore BvS. SS could have been something special, but I'd watch it again any day over anything else that's out there in the genre.

          1. OGDickGrayson Avatar
            OGDickGrayson

            I'd watch anything in this genre over Suicide Squad 😎

    2. Matt Avatar
      Matt

      I'm pretty optimistic about JL. Not a huge fan of Snyder but I think we'll see marked improvement from BvS.

  18. Worlds Finest Comments Avatar
    Worlds Finest Comments

    Ben should've told Matt the same thing before he made that last Bourne movie.

    1. Mario Avatar
      Mario

      Burn supremacy.. https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  19. Orlando Furioso Avatar
    Orlando Furioso

    I will go see "Live by Night" to get my bearings on Ben these days and just to enjoy a good gangster flick.

  20. Kerk Lastnameless Avatar
    Kerk Lastnameless

    That's really good to hear. Then again, Leto promised not to let us down too.

    1. StarTheory Avatar
      StarTheory

      I found his performance pretty cringeworthy especially when he was purring and doing the cancer voice.

      1. Kerk Lastnameless Avatar
        Kerk Lastnameless

        You know, he is so vainglorious, that I bet he actually went on the internet and googled what people thought of his performance. There was a time when he believed that he turned in good stuff and WB robbed him of his success. Now, I bet he knows he fucked up.

        1. Guest Avatar
          Guest

          Well since you obviously know the guy personally what you say must be true. Despite the fact that his co stars you know the people that actually know him in real life have all spoken highly of him professionally and personally in various interviews but you know since you say he is vainglorious well it must be true.

          1. Kerk Lastnameless Avatar
            Kerk Lastnameless

            No shit, his co-stars spoke highly of him. Viola Devis was the only one with the actual sense to admit that she wanted to pepper-spray him.

            As the movie was in production, I was willing to let all that bull about condoms and rats slide because everyone told me how amazing Leto was, cause you see, he is a method actor. Well now, it does not matter. He was a douche, milking that "method acting" shit, and he deserves all the heat he gets for his pathetic and uninspired portrayal of the Joker.

    2. Guest Avatar
      Guest

      Exactly, the script was awful because it was written in six weeks and the editing even in the extended edition was woeful.

      1. AquaCthulhu Avatar
        AquaCthulhu

        I'm pretty sure he's talking about getting a trailer-cutting company to edit the movie into a different version than what was intended while shooting. Apparently it's not uncommon.

  21. StarTheory Avatar
    StarTheory

    This and Aquaman are the only two DCEU movies that I'm excited for. If Warner meddles with their movies then they lose two extremely talented directors which they cannot afford.

  22. Black Adam Avatar
    Black Adam

    After a lot of disappointments this year, from DC through Marvel to Star Wars, let's hope that next year is better starting with Logan and WW.

    1. StarTheory Avatar
      StarTheory

      Really excited for Logan, I get The Last of Us feeling from it.

      1. Black Adam Avatar
        Black Adam

        It looks like a good film, most of all, with good drama in it.
        A perfect conclusion to beloved character staring by even more beloved actor(s) in it.
        My pick over whatever that's coming out next year in CBM genre.

        1. StarTheory Avatar
          StarTheory

          I really hope Reynolds can convince Jackman to do one more film with Deadpool.

    2. Foomankru Avatar
      Foomankru

      You need medicine. This was a fantastic year.

    3. krampe1995 Avatar
      krampe1995

      Dc, Okay i understand your point. Wasnt perfect but wasnt horrible either. Just alright.
      Marvel did a excellent job, fox as well (Yeah some dont like apocalypse but i really liked it).
      And star wars killed it again this year

  23. Rust Avatar
    Rust

    I believe him. https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  24. Spenddollarz Avatar
    Spenddollarz

    I loved MOS and BvS and Suicide Squad could have been better but that's WB fault for meddling too much that being said Batman movies are always good from WB and BEn Affleck I said gonna crush this I hope Justice league and Wonder Woman and all the other projects are done justice

  25. Canucks Fan Avatar
    Canucks Fan

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

    1. AnonymousHero Avatar
      AnonymousHero

      Oh yes we are. :D

  26. ob1adobe Avatar
    ob1adobe

    Seems like affleck is sending a message alright. This sounds like some serious behind the scenes drama going on

  27. Vine Avatar
    Vine

    That means stopping hyping

  28. Mark Avatar
    Mark

    If I recall correctly, you also founded Methodism, so there's that.

  29. Ravager Avatar
    Ravager

    Haters: "You're just some clown who thinks he's Batman"

    Affleck: "I AM Batman!"

    https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

  30. Foomankru Avatar
    Foomankru

    What's "good" is subjective.

    1. Alan Conn Avatar
      Alan Conn

      THANK YOU!!! Jesus this argument is fucking asinine!!!

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