Could Ben Affleck Direct Warner Bros.’ ‘Justice League’ Movie? And Star as Wonder Woman?

Ben Affleck

I’m reticent to relay rumors like this, but Variety’s Showblitz blog seems to be the new watering hole for superhero movie gossip after that Daredevil/Galactus business earlier this week. And this next bit is pretty compelling. It’s early, but it’s a fun one to think about.

According to reports, Warner Bros. is interested in tapping Ben Affleck to direct their long rumored Justice League film. Variety is quick to point out that Affleck has stated he only wants to direct projects he can also act in, adding an extra degree of difficulty in finalizing this deal. That said, Affleck has already worn the Superman guise in his role as George Reeves in Hollywoodland.

Also worth noting, back when Warner Bros. was looking for someone to direct the Superman reboot (which ultimately went to Zack Snyder), Affleck reportedly met with Christopher Nolan about that gig.

There’s already a script floating around for the project, drafted by Castle staff writer and story editor Will Beall. His feature debut Gangster Squad premieres later this year. He’s also attached to the Logan’s Run remake and Lethal Weapon 5.

If you only know Affleck as an actor, understand that he also boasts a knockout directing career. Gone Baby Gone and The Town are top notch crime adaptations with amazing ensemble performances and the forthcoming Argo looks incredibly promising as well. As a bonus, it features Jack Kirby as a minor character.

With Nolan out of the picture, and another Avengers film in the pipeline, Warner Bros. needs some new blood if they’re going to return the next volley. Is this the right direction? Could you see Affleck in any of the potential roles if it came to that? Could he make a tiara work?

Even if it doesn’t happen, we’ll always have this:

Affleck gives new meaning to “Waiting for Superman” on the set of ‘Hollywoodland’.

Comments

  1. director? possibly
    superman no way

  2. This is not a joke, hear me out: he could play Steve Trevor. Really. And it’d fit the new structure of the League. Yeah, I’ve forgiven Affleck for Daredevil; it wasn’t him as much as the script.

    • I was thinking the same thing, I could see him play in that role.

    • Oh, yeah, I hadn’t thought of that, but I could definitely see Affleck as Steve Trevor. If he had to be part of the League itself, I could maybe see him as the Flash, depending on which Flash they used.

      I think he can do decent comic book characters, regardless; flawed as Daredevil was, I think he actually pulled off Matt Murdock about as well as anyone could, under the circumstances, script and so forth.

    • I’m all for msarur running the DC movies after that genius idea!

    • Agh! davidtobin100 beat me to the punch! . . . But yes msarsur, you are indeed a genius!

    • YES and Steve Trevor could be a big part… he can serve as the relate-able guy in a movie full of superheroes.

    • oh and by the way, he has got to be interested …who doesn’t want to kiss wonder woman?

  3. He wasn’t in Gone Baby Gone. His movies are pretty good.

    This is a very interesting idea. With someone like that behind the camera, there might be a lot less studio involvement (which led to the muck up that was Green Lantern).

    I don’t think he should be in the movie though. I feel he’s too old to portray any of the characters. Unless he plays a liason similiar to Steve Trevor in the current incarnation of the comic.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      No, he wasn’t in Gone Baby Gone. Though his brother was. (I LOVE that movie). But moving forward he apparently only wants to direct movies he can also act in.

    • “He wasn’t in Gone Baby Gone. His movies are pretty good.”

      Read a bit more carefully. He directed it.

    • @Paul: That’s a bummer. Gone Baby Gone’s one of my favorites too, and I was clinging to hope that someday we’d get another Kenzie/Gennaro adaptaion from that crew. Affleck(s) and co. really captured the magic of those novels.

    • He directed it but didnt star in it.

      “Variety is quick to point out that Affleck has stated he only wants to direct projects he can also act in” -I could be wrong but I think ScottB was referring to that quote.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      I would love more Kenzie and Gennaro adaptations as well. It’s my favorite crime series and Affleck and Monoghan were perfect in their roles. It’d be kinda cool if they did the latest one a few years from now as it’s a sequel to Gone Baby Gone but requires that time pass.

    • @Paul: Agreed. Moonlight Mile would be a great way to go.

  4. “Affleck you the bomb in phantoms yo!”

  5. Aquaman + Boston = Affleck?

  6. I thought he was done with superhero stuff after Daredevil.

  7. Ben Affleck as Maxwell Lord

  8. Yikes! Not my 1st choice (or any choice for that matter) to direct a major (no, a MASSIVE) Project like Justice League. I think Bryan Singer, with Christopher Nolan (just add a few digits to his pay) would so rock! Or Cameron with a more Terminator meets Avatar look and feel of the movie.

    • Only problem with Bryan Singer, he is not a comics fan. His X-Men movies are pretty much Tim Burton’s Batman movies, serviceable but without the heart that Sam Raimi, Chris Nolan, or Scott Snyder brought to their movies. His movies are not bad, but if you’re gonna direct the JL movie you better have some heart!

  9. How delightfully random.

    I’ve gotta say, Affleck used to bother me immensely, but he taught me a lesson with Gone Baby Gone and The Town. I’m still not a huge fan of his work as an actor, but I’ll be in the audience for Argo opening weekend, and I’ll watch any movie he directs from here on out. He’s got quite an eye.

    Though I’m not sure if a Justice League fits his ground level sensibilities. But who knows, he may surprise me again.

  10. Guys, we need to know who is playing Snapper Carr….like immediately. =)

  11. I love that this article got tagged with “reindeer games”. Sadly, it’s the only article on the site with that tag.

  12. The only thing I can see is Steve Trevor or Snapper Carr I can’t see him as any of the major superhero roles.

  13. He could play the villain.

  14. Like Paul wrote, he’s gotten some “amazing ensemble performances” out of the films he directed most recently.
    Is this his sort of project though? Sure, throw enough ‘Fuck You Money’ at him but what sort of Justice League story would we get? How would it differ from the Avengers?

    I don’t think he’d direct a bad Justice League movie I’m just not sure there’s a good script out there at the moment.

  15. Can you even JUST do a Justice League movie at this point? I think Marvel has set the precedent at this point that DC should build up to a team movie.

    Regardless, Affleck should only do a minor character or a cameo, like either Jon Favreau or Stan Lee. He’d make a really good on-screen POTUS.

    • I think you could open with the Justice League movie. Obviously, Marvel’s model has been successful, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to do it. You could open with JLA, and then dig deeper into the individual characters if enough interest warrants a solo movie. Or you could just have some kick-ass JL movies.

      I’m not convinced that what worked for Marvel’s characters would work for DC’s. Everyone could potentially benefit from just having them show up and save the day. Working Marvel’s method in reverse could work in DC’s favor.

    • i’m kinda with you on that. A great threat that causes a team to form and also introducing us to rebooted characters. Could pave the way for the DCU 2.0 in the movies. It would be a smart play, and they could do it now instead of a 5 yr plan.

  16. Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone and The Town are great movies. Would like to see if he can handle a comic book/sci fi/action movie. You think everyone in Justice League will have a boston accent tho? lol

  17. Affleck is a fantastic filmmaker and certainly a notch above the kind of directors I assumed they would choose for this. A big win for Warner if they can convince him.

  18. The Town and Gone Baby Gone were excellent and more over, Affleck was good as George Reeves in Hollywood Land, but the way he played Matt Murdock / Daredevil shows he lacks the understanding of comics. The adaptation of crime novels is not the same as the adaptation of comics.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      How does his performance indicate a miscomprehension of comics? Surely the writer and director are the culprits in that scenario.

    • Culprit – Johnson filled both roles on that movie. And even so, I think it was a case of his (Johnson’s) ambitions outstripping his abilities (heart in the right place & all that).

    • Its true Affleck wasn’t the director or wrote the screenplay, still he is responsible for researching the role and clearly he didn’t do any such thing. Look at Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling on how an actor gets it right. Can he learn from his mistakes? Absolutely. For me, he doesn’t inspire confidence.

    • Avatar photo Paul Montgomery (@fuzzytypewriter) says:

      Quantify this. What was missing from his performance in your mind?

    • Christian Bale was able to express the duality of Wayne / Batman. As Bruce, he’s soft-spoken, sly, and easy-go-lucky. In Batman, he’s a growling, screaming, gritting teeth aggressive. Affleck as M. Murdock / Daredevil fails to convey the different personalities. I guess he thought a change in costume was all that was required, but there’s a little more to it than that.

    • I disagree. Look at Matt with Foggy just before the play fight w/ Elektra. He’s all smiles, jokes, and charm. Same when he meets Elektra. When he’s Daredevil, he’s all business, and when he’s alone, you really get the sense of what this guy lives with day in and day out. The swallowing of a handfull of pain pills and the isolation tank…that’s when we see the real Matt. He was actually playing three characters, and I think he pulled it off okay.

      The film had other issues, but I’d say he did alright.

    • Robert Downey Jr. in his role as Holmes and Stark (appearance and -isms aside), you can hardly say his portrayal of one character is interchangeable with the other, right? Well, the same cannot be said of Affleck [in this period] where he went from one role to the next simply reciting lines. And DareDevil is one of those. I’m not saying he can’t act ever. In my initial comment I wrote how good he was as George Reeves in Hollywoodland. Better than good, his part is memorable where Adrien Brody”s isn’t, but as Murdock / Daredevil he did not convince nor entertain.

  19. honestly i could be talked into just about any character. Affleck gets underrated because of early career moves, but i think with the Town especially he really showed that he has another level that he can take it to. I think this could be a great move if it works out.

  20. that picture doesn’t really help the cause.

  21. Man, HOLLYWOODLAND was a great movie. That might be Affleck’s best performance.

  22. I think this could work. I can even see Affleck playing any of the leads, except Superman, since that’ll likely be Cavill. His Daredevil was good and shows that he can play tortured characters, like Batman. I honestly don’t think he would want to play anyone in the League, though, but I could be wrong. I also like the idea that DC movies will be serious, whereas Marvel has gone the mindless and funny route. I’ve always preferred my superheroes with a good dose of gravitas.

  23. I remember about a year ago WB reached out to Affleck about doing Stephen King’s The Stand. I think it even got as far as Affleck meeting with writers to talk about how to break it down. Between the two, I’d rather see Affleck do “The Stand” but if he did do Justice League, I wouldn’t object.

  24. i am honestly perplexed by anyone who doesn’t want a john blake batman movie

    does that not provide the perfect solution to the nolan-less batman problem we all find ourselves in?

    it kinda makes perfect sense to me–nolan left john blake with a suitcase full of instructions and a bat-computer. probably filled with instructions on where to train/talk to lucious fox or what have you. with a new director i feel like that would be a perfect vision of batman, a bit younger, a bit less grim, but still in the same universe. tie him in with man of steel, and you’ve got a justice league movie on your hands.

    that way at the end of the second act of a JL movie, when earths mightiest are in some shit and don’t know who to turn to, batman can say, I know who

    and bruce motherfucking wayne comes out

    • That’s funny, because I’m perplexed by anyone who wants a John Blake Batman movie.

      Personal tastes aside, you’re never gonna see a Batman movie without Bruce Wayne under the mask. It’s just not gonna happen. And it doesn’t “fix the Nolan-less Batman problem”, because the suggestion is that Blake picks up the mantle in Nolan’s Gotham. The problem isn’t that Christian Bale or Bruce Wayne from Nolan’s trilogy wouldn’t work on a Justice League level scale, it’s that Nolan’s entire vision wouldn’t work on a Justic League level scale. Besides, Nolan’s are the best Batman films we’re ever going to get, so the smart choice would be to move in an entirely different direction.

      The only requirements for the casting of Batman in a Justice League movie are some good vocals and a strong jaw, since Bruce wouldn’t trust these other heroes enough to take off his mask for years to come.

    • i think you misunderstood me

      by giving us john blake nolan solved the problems an inevitable bruce wayne reboot would face in being inevitably unfavorably compared to his films.

      john blake gives an opportunity for a reboot without over-writing nolans mythology

    • I would love to see a Batman sequel with John Blake wearing the cowl. I can’t imagine any other way for the franchise to go that would be as satisfying. Joseph Gordon Levitt is phenomenal. And for fuck’s sake, we don’t need a reboot just because people think audiences couldn’t learn to associate any name besides Bruce Wayne with Batman.

  25. (also they could certainly bring back red haired man from dark knight and have him be the riddler. damn i want to see that movie)

  26. I’d be fine with this, as long as it leads to something. I would much rather Zack Snyder direct the JL, but Affleck at least has some cred. As far as the cast, Steve Trevor would be great for him. A minor role that could let him put the majority of his focus on the directing duties. Myself, my first pick would be Aquaman. No one would expect much effort in him as Arthur Curry, and he could blow it out of the park. Second pick, the Kyle Rayner or Guy Gardner GL. In the unlikely event that they decide to base the movie on the new JL comics and ignore Common as John Stewart, then he could fill in as a new GL if Ryan Reynolds gets cut.

  27. They could be going for a Favreau thing here. Getting an actor/director. It worked for Iron Man and Thor. Don’t see this happening because I don’t believe in this Justice League film. They boned Green Lantern, and Superman is unproven.

  28. I really don’t know how this could play out. On the one hand Affleck has done some great work on mid to lower budgeted films like Gone Baby & of course the awesome Heat meets The Departed accomplishment of The Town. Yet on the other hand he has no experience DIRECTING a big budgeted film, let alone a big budgeted superhero franchise film where all of the superheroes are jam packed into one single film experience. Also there’s the extra pressure of having the audience ease into the characters without the step by step movie buildup process that Marvel did with the lead up into The Avengers. Granted The Justice League doesn’t need really much introduction especially since Man of Steel comes out beforehand & the only character that is probably the least established & least known is just Martian Manhunter, which could very well be the focus of the film. I am not going to base Affleck’s acting “abilities” to the possibility of him directing, because I don’t really believe that it would fit well or really be in good taste for him to star in this that is IF he accepts the deal. Steve Trevor is a nice notion, but I believe he would be inappropriately place in a Justice League movie rather than just be introduced in the Wonder Woman movie that is scheduled to follow, whether that’s before or after The Flash movie, remains to be seen. I believe it really is possible to get this film process off the ground & running for a 2015 release & finally have a proper blockbuster Smackdown just like the 80s action classics where Marvel vs DC on the big screen in the same summer with their big teams. I seriously hope that if Affleck is chosen that his brother Casey would not go anywhere near The Flash or any other prior used Affleck directed actor/actress. Here’s to a soon to be historic summer 2015! : )

  29. Martian Manhunter is going to have a Boston accent now…

    • Martian Manhunter won’t be in any Justice League movie that gets off the runway in the next five years. He’ll be replaced by Cyborg. And I, along with many others, will die a little inside.

      There is no Justice League without J’onn J’onzz.

    • @WheelHands: You speak truth, my friend. JJ has been in pretty much every incarnation of the JLA until the reboot. I always thought he brought a sense of poignancy to the team that is otherwise lacking.

  30. I would love to see him/them do a gritty, grounded JL movie inspired by Kingdom Come. It would differentiate it quite a bit from The Avengers, and would fit in with the ethos of their successful franchises thus far. With the characters being older, it’d open up Affleck’s starring role possibilities. It’ll probably never happen, but that’s what I thought about a Winter Soldier movie, and we’re getting that!

  31. Ben Affleck as Vandal Savage. It’s all about letting the beard do the acting for you.

  32. Affleck has come a long way since his Daredevil days. His directing is top notch, and his acting is give or take depending on the role. The Justice League will live or die on the script. Get a good screen writer Hollywood, please!

  33. Honestly all this talk about oh he hasnt directed a big budget superhero film before needs to stop…do I need to run down the list?

    Kenneth Branagh – THOR
    Jon Favreau – Iron man
    Christopher Nolan- Batman begins (BEFORE that he did insomnia, memento, following…not really big budget films either)

    So why are we talking about him not being ready for this? Was Branagh, Favreau or Nolan ready? I mean give the dude a shot if he fails then ok he doesn’t come back for a second one. Done.

    • well, although i think affleck is a great director and could definitely do this, thats not the best argument in the world

      branagh had done henry v which was a rather epic and action packed movie, and jon favreau did zathura which is far closer to a blockbuster than gone baby gone or the town.

      while nolan’s movie’s aren’t the most superhero-ey, he’d proven himself as an incredible auteur and artist in a way the other three have yet to do.

  34. I think Affleck is a good choice but I don’t think he should have a big role in the film. Its not that I think he isnt a good actor I just I feel like directing a movie of this size is an enormous job and I don’t see how it could be done if you also had a lead role in the flick as well. Also if he directs and stars in a movie this big then it fails I think most of the blame would be on him. Maybe with a great script, a great DP, and a ton of pre-production work it could be pulled off but why not focus on the script and directing and just take a small role like Favreau did in Iron Man.

  35. I think with that kind of pressure it could bring out the best in Affleck we’ve never seen and his directing has been solid. Doing something out of left field could be just the catapult he needs to get to that cemented top notch director status. Along with a great screen writer this could turn out to feel unlike any other superhero film yet.

  36. How about they make a Flash movie instead?

  37. He could play Oliver Queen.

  38. Ben Afflect as the voice of Skeets.

    j/k.

    Don’t matter… I have no high hopes for a JL movie. I’d have to see it to believe it. So they can hire whoever. Get Tarantino if they can… or let a toddler with a Fisher Price camera do it.

  39. He’d make a fine Green Lantern. He has great swagger, great comic timing, and can deliver on the heartfelt moments. I like RR too, though, if he’s willing to return to the role. He did the best he could with that script.

    Steve Trevor is another great idea.

  40. i could see affleck being aqua man……..maybe

    or superman. but it seems we’ve got someone for that. not sure about this oliver queen business. captain marvel?

    • I’m sure I will be alone in this, but I could easily see him as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern. I think he could certainly do a better job than Reynolds did. Don’t get me wrong. I like Reynolds, and the problems with Green Lantern were far more related to script/directing than acting. I think Reynolds was a bit light and jokey for Hal. I think Affleck could easily be a cocky dude, which is who Jordan is to me. They will probably go John Stewart though.