Like the majority of stars that have spent so much time hovering around the top of the Hollywood A-list, Ben Affleck’s career has experienced its fair share of ups and downs. After rising to prominence in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats and Chasing Amy, the actor broke out in a huge way as the co-star and co-writer of Good Will Hunting, and quickly became one of the fastest-rising young talents in the business.
However, over the next few years you’d be more likely to find Affleck making headlines in the tabloids than the trade papers, and his output became characterized by painfully mediocre blockbusters like Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, The Sum of All Fears, Daredevil and Paycheck, and let’s not forget about his starring role in the disastrous Gigli, which is rightly regarded as one of the worst movies ever made.
In recent years, it looked like Affleck had finally turned his back on big budget studio fare though, which is why it came as such a surprise when he was first cast as the DCEU’s Batman. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into, and it would be an understatement to say that a lot of people were shocked by how well he fit the franchise’s idea of what a grizzled and world-weary veteran take on the Dark Knight should be.
Before he quietly retired from the role following the disappointment of Justice League and concerns over his own personal well-being, fans were in agreement that Affleck had the potential to become one of the all-time great big screen Batmen. And now that he’s officially been confirmed to return in The Flash, director Andy Muschietti has explained why the 48 year-old is so well-suited for the role.
“His Batman has a dichotomy that is very strong which is his masculinity, because of the way he looks, and the imposing figure that he has, and his jawline, but he’s also very vulnerable. He knows how to deliver from the inside out, that vulnerability. He just needs a story that allows him to bring that contrast, that balance.”
Muschietti’s comments certainly make it sound like he agrees with those that felt Affleck’s take on the character was let down by the quality of the movies that surrounded him, and the director will no doubt be looking to put that right when the actor suits up and steps onto the set of The Flash.