Why Ben Affleck Should NOT Direct a Batman Film

So, last week Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in the upcoming “Man of Steel” sequel.  Now, I personally love Affleck as the choice to play Batman/Bruce Wayne.  I believe Ben Affleck has come a long way in his career and is, at this point, a great actor.  Over time, people grow as artists and, generally, as human beings.  However, that isn’t entirely what I want to talk about.  While everyone is talking about Affleck playing Batman, I want to talk about why he shouldn’t direct a Batman spin-off of any form. 

I feel that Affleck really came into his own after he directed “Gone Baby Gone”.  Personally, I feel Affleck’s work on that film made him a better actor and proved he was a great director.  When we all were blown away with his second directorial effort “The Town”, in which he also starred; he essentially said I’m here to stay and this is what I can do.  Then at last year’s Academy Awards, he was snubbed for best Director but won his second Oscar.  He now has a Screenwriting Oscar and the Award for Best Picture for his work Producing “ARGO”.  Ben Affleck is a star in front and behind the camera; that is a fact.

So with the news of Affleck being cast as Batman, there has been speculation by many that he may want to direct a Batman spin-off film.  Now, while I really like the choice of Affleck playing Batman, I HATE the chance of him directing a Batman film and it’s not because he wouldn’t direct the film well.  His track record has shown the guy can direct the daylights out of a film.  The reason is because of the type of films he has directed - “Gone Baby Gone”, “The Town” and “ARGO”.  I feel his wheelhouse is gritty, realistic and, dare I say, more artistic films… character driven films. 

At one point there was news that the rights to “Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution”, a book by Nathaniel Philbrick based on the Battle of Bunker Hill during The Revolutionary War was picked up and passed to Chris Terrio, to pen the screenplay.  For those of you who may not know, Terrio wrote the screenplay for “ARGO”.  “Bunker Hill” is another film that takes place in Affleck’s beloved city of Boston.  It would be a film that I would LOVE to see him direct.  It would be fantastic to see a great Revolutionary War film.  If Terrio is writing, a man who works extremely well with history (“ARGO” was a true story) and Affleck is directing, the movie could be a film for the ages.

Yet another film Affleck has in the works right now is “Live By Night” which is based on a book by Dennis Lehane, the author of “Gone Baby Gone”, Affleck’s directorial debut.  The film adaptation of “Live By Night” will be written, directed and produced by Affleck and he will also be acting in the movie.  The story takes place in Prohibition Era Boston during the roaring 20s.  This is another story that sounds like it would be right in Ben Affleck’s wheelhouse and a bull’s-eye considering what he did with “Gone Baby Gone” for which he also had a screenwriting credit.

What I am getting at is this; although I think Affleck is a tremendous talent, I feel he thrives in certain areas of filmmaking and that is dramatic character studies.  There is not much of that in Hollywood right now with the Superhero Generation of film.  So, I REALLY don’t like the possibility of one of the best young directors who thrives in character studies, jumping to direct a Superhero film.  Let Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder stick to that.  In a day and age where we get less and less character and less and less depth, do we want Ben Affleck, one of the best talents at giving us character and depth, stepping out of that genre? 

- George McCann