JimPunchfist

August 26, 2013 4:55 pm I would also like to express, after some thought, this argument was not made naive of the many superhero failures of the past few years. I have read the after mentioned Goldman "Screen Trade" duo and Bendis' own book. I understand Hollywood about as well as any person who does not operate within it and can be cynical about its nature just as much you are. Not as individuals, but as the organism responsible for almost all moviemaking in the U.S, Hollywood is collectively more experienced at making and casting hit films than ourselves or the gatekeeper fans who get the most riled up about this sort of thing. Even the most die hard fan has no real experience casting a film, the privilege to information such as screen tests or private interview with the actor/actress, or the lack of bias to properly cast the film without some eye cast of (mostly) physical aesthetics (Which we have seen do not necessarily make the role) or continuity.

August 26, 2013 2:34 pm @KenOchalek Exactly.

August 26, 2013 1:50 pm @KevinAB Again, I should have realized that comment would be taken more personally than what was intended. As a group of people whose priority is to create a successful film that makes money, yes they are. It is their job. Not to say they don't make mistakes. They do. Hopefully, this doesn't sound rude, but I differ to my above arguments for the rest of your comments, as I feel they accurately explain why I disagree. Ultimately, if it was up to the fandom, all comic movies would all be in development hell perpetually.

August 24, 2013 8:54 pm I agree to a point. Craig's range of acting, in my opinion and although I like him as a presence quite a bit, is probably within the same range as Affleck's, but maybe I've missed a film that really put him on another level. The other two I would agree with. I always find people overlook Affleck's role in Good Will Hunting, and the little speech he gives Matt Damon towards the end. He can carry a scene well and deliver the right amount of drama without the "melo" prefix. Ultimately, we are debating opinions and I do respect yours. Who likes who, their capabilities, and our observations on potential will vary. The men you list, some already had received Oscar acclaim, were still doubted when they were announced. We knew their potential and they were still judged. I understand, to a reasonable extent (The petitions are very silly), the apprehension, but I still believe he has the chops.

August 24, 2013 6:42 pm I don't see it as unfair to compare these actors. All of them have been lambasted for superficial reasons when chosen to play their particular comic roles and all of them have played in oscar winning films, except for Daniel Craig. Beyond that is the land opinion.

August 24, 2013 5:43 pm @Nightwing97 -- Have you ever heard a press release that didn't sound disingenuous? Currently, we do not know Snyders involvement in the casting decision other than those words in the press release. And if they wanted to pull a stunt, why not hire someone with current star power? Why hire a guy that's been directing thrillers for the last few years? There is some measure of faith by them, in this man, that he will help propel a franchise they hope to perpetuate into the 20's and beyond, and that includes a substantial monetary involvement in him and this film. I don't think, at least I would hope, that decisions weren't made lightly. Something about him, maybe unclear to you, made them say "this is our guy." And I am inclined not to disagree with them, again, for reasons cited above.

August 24, 2013 5:09 pm "Marvel Studios hasn't built a franchise giant by simply "not caring" " was how that was suppose to go. Sorry about that.

August 24, 2013 5:07 pm @Nightwing97 As I stated above, if fans chose who played these roles we wouldn't have had Craig as Bond, Bale as Batman, Ledger as Joker, Ruffalo as Banner along with most of the Avengers team except for Robert Downey Jr. Marvel Studios has built a franchise giant by simple "not caring", and with DC trying to go in the same direction I am sure every possible care is being taken. Whether that care conflicts with your personal taste or perception is another story.

August 24, 2013 10:36 am Hollywood has its missteps, absolutely. Understand I do not think of Hollywood as this well-oiled, clean machine. However, most of the complaints people register with the Hollywood machine all have to do with the machine responding to the market. Complaints for a lack of originality stem with the tides of sequels and reboots are really all just a response to what the market is demanding. That being said: William Goldman's argument was that Hollywood, an an organic entity, did not understand exactly what was going to bomb and what films would hit at any given time. It said nothing of casting, which is a strictly human error when it turns out someone was casted for a role that they do not play well. However, the casting directors of Hollywood probably ARE smarter than us in regards to casting roles. Fans typically immediately go for the aesthetic, or the physical, when these types of roles are cast, but whatever potential lies beyond the exterior. This is why people seriously wanted Triple H for years to play Thor. Boiling it down: I manage a comic shop. So I, inherently because it is my business to do so, know more about running a comic shop than Joe ComicBuyer does. Does it mean I don't make mistakes? God, no. I make mistakes all the time, but given my training and experience, 9 time out of 10, I probably would run a comic shop better than the person just buying the comics. Just like these guys. So let me modify: The peoples whose jobs it is to cast films in Hollywood - Casting director, Producer, director, Studio heads, etc - are smarter than you. Not because of their intelligence, or because you are unintelligent, but because of experience. They see the screen tests, they look past the exterior because they have the ability to do so, they talk with the actors and actress and get a feel for what they will be like in the role. And again, it's not a perfect track record, but the last few years of superhero film adaptations have been received pretty well, even with what were widely considered terrible casting choices.

August 23, 2013 9:00 pm This is what I posted earlier for some friends on Facebook. It's quite long, and if it is troublesome in its length, I apologize. It was addressed to a mostly non-comic reading crowd, but I feel it may ring true in some cases here as well. Thoughts on "Batman/Superman", or The Armchair Casting Director Pandemic Part One: History is Doomed to Repeat What Bares Repeating You folks are funny. I hate to add my grossly self-important opinion to the veritable river of grossly self-important opinions on the recent news concerning the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming "Batman/Superman" film, but I'm going to anyway. The amount of uninspired "Affleck WUZ DARDEVIL LOL" posts, conversations, and discussion has shaken me from my MLK inspired path of internet non-violence. In point of fact, I would personally like to slap all of you for perpetuating this most vicious of pop-culture cycles. It is disconcerting that so many of you haven't learned from your most recent history, one that you don't even have to read it because you've lived it. The simple truth is this: Hollywood is smarter than you. And get this -- They know how to cast a movie better than you do. Oh, and on top of that? The majority has been wrong almost every single time over the last ten years after every major casting announcement for any film franchise. "What?" you gasp, taken aback. "Better than me? I've watched all these movies! I know these characters! I know everything about every celebrity that has existed since TMZ began! What do you mean Hollywood is smarter than me?" Most assuredly, my statement above is pure conjecture. I have never seen the statistics to back this up. It is a gut feeling stolen from the zeitgeist, this pollutive fog, that covers the realm of the internet. The observations are clear, and my senses were not singular, so I trust you all will know the truth of what I'm about to say when I say it, because you will feel its kernel of truth within you. Part Two: Observations On Casting Hysteria In early 2005, when the Bond franchise was being rekindled and rebooted, the announcement came about that Daniel Craig, the then almost unknown star, would be unholstering the Walther PP7 for the role. Now, this was met with unholy resistance from the 007 concerned public, mostly concerning the nature of Craig's blonde hair. Because how could James Bond possibly be blonde? Obviously, "Casino Royale" went on to become quite the hit, spawning two more films with Craig at the helm; his performance widely considered one of the better Bond outings. In 2004, Christian Bale is announced as the new Batman. World shuffles feet in dread. Goes on to helm one of the most successful franchise of all time. In 2006, Heath Ledger is announced to play the Joker in the Batman Begins sequel. Do you remember how outraged people were that this lanky pretty boy was going to take on the Joker? Wins an oscar and people discuss his performance now with a reverence reserved for Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. With the exception of Robert Downey Jr, almost every person to garner a role in The Avengers met some weird opposition. Mark Ruffalo in particular, but Chris Evans as well due to his notoriety for his smart-ass pretty boy roles. People even were let down that Triple H, famed wrestler, was not cast to play Thor. Each and every one of these cases, although the data is based on mere observation, showcases what a reactionary bunch of morons we can be at times. Everyone has or knows a friend that reacted this way. In my case with my line of work, I see and talk to these types of people constantly, and I have on occasion done these things myself. You'd think we all would have learned by now not to react so heavily and harshly. You'd think there would be more temperance and less venom found coming from the mouthes of so many who understand the goal of these types of films is to entertain and excite and sell tickets to the next one. Then Warner Brothers announces they've chose Academy Award winning Writer/Director Ben Affleck to star as Batman in their last bat-related outing. And the world loses its collective fucking mind. Part Three: The Sly Stallone Affliction Ben Affleck is one of the most talented mainstream Hollywood players of today. Look, I get a hefty lot of you want to rehash ten year old Affleck jokes that were told much better by the creators of South Park over ten years ago. We all know how miserable a career Affleck had post-Good Will Hunting. Affleck suffered from, what I like to call, the Sly Stallone Affliction. Let me elaborate: In 1975, or thereabouts, Sylvester Stallone wrote a little independent film called Rocky. This particular film not only went on to win three Academy Awards, acknowledged by AFI to be one of the greatest American films ever made, and adopted into the Library of Congress; it also had a pretty fucking great script. It's structure is unbelievable and its characters organic and lovable. Overall, it is a wonderful little piece of storytelling. And the man that wrote that went on to write and star in more award winning films. Wait, no -- he is currently preparing Expendables 3. You want to know why? Because writing movies is really hard. Like, really really hard. And you know what? You don't get any credit unless you're astronomically lucky. And you know what else? It pays in stale fortune cookies when compared to an actors salary. So, Mr. Stallone, rocketing forth on his newfound fame, decided to forgo the rough, thankless terrain of a writer and went straight for the stars. So did Affleck. Again, an struggling actor co-writes a script that wins an academy award, an extremely good script at that, and starts getting offers for roles beyond the writing chair. And guess what? He chooses fame and money vs a silent room with only a computer screen and your mounting doubts for company. The guy was apart of some horrible, horrible films. He's all but laughed out of the spotlight, not only in private, but on a very public scale. Years later, after being drummed to the gallows, he returns quietly and directs a small film called Gone Baby Gone. It isn't perfect, but it's good. Good enough for another production company to give him more money to make more films. This culminates in the very well done The Town and the Academy Award winning film Argo. Both films feature the writer/director in a leading role, and you know what? He's good in them. He's good. Make all the crappy, cleverless Daredevil jokes you want to, but as we've seen what Affleck is capable of when he's on, I would think the blame for that atrocity lies more in the lap of director Mark Steven Johnson (Who also directed the equally horrific Ghost Rider). Hell, even good movies can make a bad performance look good. I'm staring right at you, Christian Bale. (And before you call get up in arms about that comment, I want you to think about the most parodied film role of the last ten years and try and find another one that isn't his role as Batman) Part Four: We Plant Our Feet In The Ground, Our Head In The Sand It's funny, but as these comic franchise have developed over the last few years, I've watched moviegoers develop an ownership of these characters that before was only likened to avid comic readers like myself. Now, it has become universal. When I was younger, I used to dread just as much as I was excited by the film adaptations of the characters I loved -- my heart could not take it if they were sullied by their onscreen personas. So, I understand wanting to protect your idealized version of a character. But for fucks sake, we came here to be entertained, and so far the superhero films of the last few years have all been be quite entertaining, even in the face of armchair casting directors. I came to the realization many years ago that these characters are beyond me, that their interpretations are endless. I've seen Batman as an actual medical knight, in 1892, from the future, as a vampire, as a campy 60's neon flash, and as a space-farer. Affleck's Batman will be small potatoes. And you know what? Affleck, despite all your protesting, will be Batman. And despite your reservations and air thin opinions, he'll probably do an okay job. Just wait and let the excitement mount. Its merit will be judged in time.