‘Batman Vs Superman’ Cast: 'Ben Affleck Is Not Crazy Enough To Play Batman' - Seth Green! Can 'Argo' Actor Prove Him Wrong?
One of the most maligned casting decisions of the past year was Ben Affleck as Batman for the sequel to "Man of Steel" that's tentatively titled "Batman Vs Superman."
Seth Green is a self confessed fanboy of the comics and he has also done work (usually with voices) on some DC projects like "Batman Beyond" and they are about to start on the "Robot Chicken DC Comics Special II: Villains in Paradise."
He has a fair idea of who Batman is, and how he is supposed to be portrayed. He talked to Larry King in "Larry King Now" about the casting call. As transcribed by Geek Tyrant:
"Modern mainstream is accepting of interpretations of these characters with more gravitas, you know. We're past the time of Adam West's kind of goofy interpretation of Batman. You gotta remember that at the core of that character, Batman's a crazy person. Batman has no powers. Batman is a rich, screwed up kid whose parents were killed in front of him."
That's accurate. The essence of Batman is not about the billions, it's his twisted obsession for revenge which he could not direct to a particular person. This is what distinguishes him from Tony Stark/Iron Man.
He continues: "If this movie is meant to be the idealistic alien, humans before all else Superman, and this is supposed to be the grizzled weathered Batman who's been living in Gotham, fighting crime himself for 10 years, you need a guy who's older, you need a guy who's got more weight, you need a guy that a Henry Cavill Superman is gonna be actually scared of."
In other words, Superman has all the physical advantages. Batman can only retaliate with a psychological edge.
Larry King then countered: "Affleck is a very good actor, and you're supposed to act." Which is true. The character is not meant to align with the actor's real persona, although it makes the job easier if it does.
Green replies: "Yes, but, there is only so much that you can act a role before people are or are not going to believe you in that role. I'm never going to play, um, you know, an MMA fighter, because I'd step into the ring with an actual MMA fighter like Batista and I wouldn't look correct."
Batista is a wrestler, but his argument holds true. Affleck does not have a range as wide as Christian Bale. While Bale is dashing just like Affleck, his past darker roles have made him qualified for the iconic role. In contrast, Affleck played a super hero in "Daredevil" and he totally missed the mark.
People can improve and actors, for their part can expand the roles they tackle. Will this be Affleck's game changer, or will he just bring Batman back to the pits that Bale and Christopher Nolan rescued it from?