‘Batman V Superman’: Ben Affleck Talks Batsuit, Fan Pressure
The announcement of Ben Affleck as Batman for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was met with a heavy helping of backlash by fans of the DC Comics character. The latest to don the cape and cowl of the Dark Knight discussed that reaction, the new Batsuit, and more during a publicity tour for his upcoming film, Gone Girl, which releases this week.
Affleck appeared Monday morning in an interview on the Today show to promote Gone Girl. NBC’s Matt Lauer couldn’t help but slip in some questions about Batman v Superman, including a question about the Batsuit.
“They really conceived it in a new and interesting way,” Affleck said of the suit. He wouldn’t provide any additional details, however, for fear of invoking the wrath of Warner Bros. executives. Fans are still left with the infamous black and white image of Affleck in the Batsuit standing next to the Batmobile from director Zack Snyder for now.
I shot this with my @Leica_Camera M Monochrom. #Batman #Batmobile #Gotham http://t.co/WPHKLxgBLM pic.twitter.com/p5DEf6fLzJ
— ZackSnyder (@ZackSnyder) May 13, 2014
Lauer then asked Affleck about the online backlash to his casting as Batman. The interviewer drew parallels between the controversy swirling around this bit of casting for Batman v Superman and Daniel Craig taking the role 007 for the James Bond films. Craig was initially a controversial casting, but fans grew to love the choice once they saw the actual performance on screen.
“What happens is that we have these… cultural stories that people really have attachments to. The fans have imagined it, they write fan-fiction, and they get really into it. They are certainly entitled to those feelings. This is a movie — that more than any other movie — that people come up to me and are excited,” Affleck told Lauer.
He added, “You have all of this attention — some of it’s positive, some of it’s negative. I think, in the end, you make the movie and it either works or it doesn’t. ”
This statement was echoed in a recent interview with The Boston Globe, when Affleck was asked if he was going to be a good Batman.
“I can tell you that I’m very excited and it’s very exciting. I can tell you that in my entire career, I haven’t had so many people come up to me and say how much they’re looking forward to the movie,” he said. “Naturally, that’s a lot of pressure, but I love the script, I love the director, I love the studio.”
Can Affleck disprove his critics by pulling together a strong performance as both Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It will be a long wait until we really know. The film is not set to release until March 25, 2016.
[Image via Zack Snyder]
