‘Batman VS Superman’ Film: Ben Affleck Initially Turned Down Role
Ben Affleck, the next Batman, reportedly turned down the "Batman vs. Superman" role when it was first offered to him by Warner Bros.
Affleck spoke to Playboy Magazine about the Batman role and his initial reaction to it.
''I told them I didn't see myself in the role and I was going to have to beg off,'' said Affleck to Playboy Magazine.
Yet, Warner Bros was adamant about getting Affleck for the Batman role that they asked him to check out writer-director Zack Snyder's work in an attempt to convince him to accept their offer.
When Affleck saw Snyder's work, it blew him away. He said that it was incredible.
"It was a unique take on Batman that was still consistent with the mythology. It made me excited,'' said Affleck to Playboy Magazine.
However, a lot of Batman fans aren't too excited about it. Affleck is getting a lot of petitions online asking that he be to removed from the "Batman vs. Superman" film. They even used the harsh Twitter hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck which they attached to their tweets about Ben Affleck and the "Caped Crusader." Some even preferred Meryl Streep to play Batman, so long as Affleck bows out of the movie.
Batman has long been played by different actors, the latest of which was Christian Bale in the recently concluded Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan. Other notable actors include Michael Keaton, George Clooney and Val Kilmer. Not all of these choices were preferred by fans either, particularly Clooney. Hopefully, the fan backlash and petitions to remove Affleck will not hurt the "Batman vs. Superman" film's success.
Fans reportedly do not want what happened to Affleck in the "Daredevil" films to happen again in the "Batman vs. Superman" movie. Even if the film was instrumental to getting Affleck and Jennifer Garner together in real life, it didn't perform well in the box office, including its spin-off, the 2005 film "Elektra" starring Garner.
''If I thought the result would be another Daredevil, I'd be out there picketing myself,'' said Affleck in the Playboy Magazine interview.
''Why would I make the movie if I didn't think it was going to be good and that I could be good in it?''
Affleck obviously feels bad about the "Daredevil" films because he loved it.
''It just kills me,'' said Affleck to Playboy Magazine, adding, ''I love that story, that character, and the fact that it got f---ed up the way it did stays with me. Maybe that's part of the motivation to do Batman.''
Affleck also talked to Playboy Magazine about his wife and their relationship, how they met and fell in love.
"We met on 'Pearl Harbor' ... but we fell in love on 'Daredevil,'" said Affleck to Playboy Magazine.
Aside from Affleck, "Fast and Furious" star Gal Gadot was also cast as Wonder Woman. It looks like Warner Bros. is planning to make a series of films starring the individual DC comic book superheroes that make up the Justice League. This is similar to Marvel's "The Avengers."
Henry Cavill will reprise his role as Superman in the "Batman vs. Superman" flick. Ben Affleck may have initially turned down the "Batman vs. Superman" role when it was first offered to him and the fans may not like him but he hopes to prove them wrong when "Batman vs. Superman" opens in July 2015.