Dear Ben Affleck, Please Stay as Batman!

• Keith O'Neil


• 21 Nov 2017

Hey Ben,

I know the odds of you or your publicist reading this are slim to none, but hear me out.

I have heard conflicting rumors you may be abandoning the mantle of Batman. You first  declared you are sticking around at San Diego Comic Con in July. Now, I hear you “are contemplating” being in The Batman.

I get it. You became a “Sad Affleck” meme after the not-so-great reviews for Batman V Superman came out…

And you were even mocked when the news first hit you were cast as the next Batman.

But despite all that, you are the best cinematic Batman in my humble opinion. Even though Batman V Superman didn’t get the best reviews, all the reviews praised you as the Dark Knight! Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill gave great performances, but you are the shining star in that divisive movie.

Please stay. You just get the character in ways Christian Bale and Michael Keaton didn’t. You sense the anger Bruce Wayne feels every day he wakes up. His mind is always on the mission: never let another innocent person in Gotham suffer the same pain and suffering you experienced as a child.

Watch this scene Ben. You are amazing in it.

I saw Justice League last weekend in IMAX. You are good in it! You keep the momentum from your performance in BVS going. Sure, you don’t have as much to work with since Justice League is a team film, but you still stand out.

If leaving the mantle of the Bat has to do with what happened with Live By Night, things will get better. If only one of the four movies you directed fared poorly at the box office, I wouldn’t sweat it — you made The Town and Argo for crying out loud, and they’re two of the best movies of the decade! As someone once said, even if you bat .300, you still make the all-star team.

Anyway, back to your performance. Seriously, as Bruce Wayne, you hit it out of the park in Batman V Superman. That first interaction you have with Clark Kent at Lex Luthor’s library benefit is outstanding.

Also, fans finally got a comic-accurate costume on the big screen. I know it is the costume designers who made that happen, but you were the figure that inpsired the costume — it’s right out of The Dark Knight Returns.

Not to mention a Batman fight scene right out of the comics — it’s easily one of the best comic book movie moments ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEaX_uHHFUA&t=5s

If the DC Extended Universe loses you, not only are they losing an amazing Batman, they are losing an amazing talent. You have two Oscars (Best Screenplay for Good Will Hunting and Best Picture for Argo) and countless other acclaims and awards. You came back from the pits of Hollywood Hell after Gigli and Surviving Christmas with Hollywoodland and Gone Baby Gone. Honestly, that is one of the greatest comeback stories in Hollywood history.

Warner Brothers would have to be crazy to let you go. The new director Matt Reeves is solid but he’s no you. Maybe there are things behind the scenes we don’t know about, but losing you as Batman would be a huge loss. The DCEU needs you more than you need it.

I get it, you’re a creative type. I’d be mad too if suddenly you weren’t directing the solo Batman movie anymore. And I’d be really mad if, on top of that, they scrapped the script you and DC President Geoff Johns worked on. But don’t walk way because of that.

I heard you helped behind the scenes of BVS and helped punch-up the script a little bit. Why not do that with Matt Reeves? Those two Oscars you own speak for themselves and I am sure he will gladly welcome your advice with open arms.

The DCEU isn’t off to the start the WB executives and fans expected. Losing you would be a devastating blow. Please stay.

PS: You were the bomb in Phantoms, yo!