So, with the big rumor hitting yesterday that Warners was trying to gracefully usher out Ben Affleck as Batman, you just knew that Affleck’s appearance on the Warner Brothers’ panel would be interesting. Would he address the rumor?
Yes, yes he would. Many media outlets said he “insists” he was staying as Batman, that he “squashed” the rumor, confirmed he was staying around, or just that we are not getting rid of him.
But what did he really say? Well, he said this:
“Let me be very clear, I am the luckiest guy in the world. Batman is the coolest (…) character in any universe – DC, Marvel – and I’m so thrilled to do it. It’s (…) amazing. I still can’t believe after two films… we have this history with this great studio. Kevin Tsujihara and Sue Kroll and Toby Emmerich said to me, ‘We want you to be our Batman.’ And I believe them. And Matt Reeves, I would be a (…) ape on the ground for Matt Reeves, never mind being Batman! I’m really blown away and excited. It’s a great time in the DC universe.”
For the record, the “(…)” are variations on the F-Bomb.
Your mileage may vary, but for me that wasn’t a squashing of the full rumor. The statement was too damn vague. Nothing in term of contracts, nothing solid given. At most it was Affleck saying that he doesn’t want to leave the role and Warners told him they want him to be Batman. It does nothing to sway the rumor that Warners might want to get rid of him, only that if they do it means they lied to Affleck.
More on this I’m sure in the months to come.
