Ben Affleck is Batman?

I've just read Variety's report that Affleck has been cast as Batman opposite Henry Cavill's Superman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel sequel. I'm in disbelief given Affleck's professed disappointment at having played my favorite superhero, Daredevil, and his resulting vow never to play a superhero again.

The report is probably true, though. I liked Ben well enough as Daredevil. I don't know that I'd believe him as a darker, broodier Batman, but his Batman may not be as dark as Bale's anyway. The key will be for the characters to balance each other. Since Cavill's Superman is darker, Affleck's Batman may be lighter. There's room for that without reentering Joel Schumacher territory.

Here's what I thought when news of the movie broke at San Diego Comic-Con.

Superman vs. Batman

One of the scoops at San Diego Comic-Con this year was that, in the sequel to Man of Steel, Superman would be pitted against Batman, bringing to mind their battle in The Dark Knight Returns.

There is already much speculation as to how the movie will be plotted. Zap2it.com Contributing Editor Billy Nilles calls the premise a bad idea, asserting that writer David Goyer and directer Zack Snyder have "irreparably altered Superman's philosophy".

While I also found Man of Steel's final battle clumsily contrived, the rationale behind the sequel may be as simple as profit. Thanks to Tim Burton, Bruce Timm, and Christopher Nolan, Batman is probably Warner Bros.' most lucrative property. Meanwhile, though Superman hasn't been as successful at the movies, he remains popular enough to have afforded TV's Smallville ten seasons. Regardless who plays Batman or how problematic the plot, people will go see it. The powers-that-be are risking very little.

If I Wrote a Superman Movie...

As pleased as I am with Man of Steel, Superman brawling with bad guys has always seemed crude to me. This has long been his m.o. in comics and cartoons. In Warner Bros. Animation's 2001 Justice League cartoon, Superman was deliberately powered down so he would need his super friends' help.

My Clark Kent/Superman would have traveled the world, gaining insight into every culture and himself. He would be aware of how powerful he was, of how much damage he were capable of, and would be firmly against aggression. His instinct, like a Jedi's, would be to defend, not to attack. He would not punch, but would slip, block, and use submission holds. Not adding to villains' violence, he would not cause as much collateral damage.

He would be a rescuer and would use his power to nullify villains' power such that, when Superman arrived, they might simply give up.

I know. It would probably never sell. But I'll keep dreaming.

More MAN OF STEEL

Crime author and friend Russel D. McLean weighs in on Man of Steel at Do Some Damage. I offered a spoilery comment.

How Superman Saved Me

Like Kevin Costner, I never aspired to be Superman. My mother made me a cape and bought me a Superman knit cap, but I knew I couldn't fly. I knew I wasn't particularly strong or fast. Much later, though, in college, I did identify with Superman. I liked a girl who wasn't the same race or religion, who didn't grow up where I did. I liked her so strongly I believed none of our differences would matter—if she liked me as strongly.

Meeting her in second semester, junior year on the lit magazine staff, I immediately felt a time crunch to get to know her, to see if our friendship could overcome our differences before we graduated and went who-knows-where.

(At the same time, ABC was airing Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman with non-nerdy, part-Asian Dean Cain in the lead.)

I finally, stammeringly asked her to lunch, and she replied she considered me a good friend, but didn't like me "in the that way".

I tried to smooth things over, said I understood. Part of me wanted to quit the magazine so I wouldn't see so much of her, but that seemed selfish. I got along with the rest of the staff, and from my relatively low position, I was often a voice of reason, keeping us united in purpose. It would be hypocritical if my own hangups caused me to walk away.

Committing to the magazine didn't help bury my feelings. There were many times they flared to the surface that I regret. How much worse would it have been had I not tried to emulate Superman's restraint, his commitment to seeing the good in people who might hurt him in the moment? Thanks to that, we remain friends. She's happily married to a good guy. I have peace of mind and look forward to meeting someone I like, who likes me in that way.

MAN OF STEEL

My friend and fellow Superman fan John Ricotta and I watched Man of Steel tonight in IMAX 3D. Arriving forty-five minutes before the show, we sketched out how we would show both Superman's origins and his current ordeal, and the movie unfolded just as we wanted.

This is the first live-action movie to focus on Clark Kent's search for identity. Meanwhile, Lois Lane is first on the trail of a mysterious savior. The heart of any Superman story for me is Clark's relationship with Lois, and Amy Adams' Lois gets to know Clark before anyone else, even before Clark discovers Jor-El and puts on the jammies.

Clark, Lois, Zod, and Jor-El are all well served. I do agree with the criticism that there is too much destruction. Superman's handling of Zod in the end keeps to the post-Superman Returns grittier mission statement, but the dialogue telegraphs it, so it seem drawn out. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. now has a Superman on whom to build a new franchise. Godspeed.

Steeling Myself

As I await the June 14 release of Man of Steel, Variety reports its budget was $175 million, with an additional $150 million spent on marketing. Warner Bros. motion pictures group president Jeff Robinov has predicted it will be the studio's best performer ever, but I worry that its high price tag will put a crimp in profits. 2006's Superman Returns grossed $391 million, but cost $363 million after marketing.

I could see Man of Steel as a world-beater if this were 1978, when Richard Donner's Superman attracted fans of heroes who weren't getting movies. In 2013, with each superhero movie expected to outdo the last, I doubt Superman surpasses Marvel's The Avengers or Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Action!

For comparison's sake:


Real Action Heroes Superman Returns (2006) action figure (image from The Superman Homepage)



Mattel's Man of Steel (2013) Superman action figure

The first five comments are reaction to the first photo.

SUPERMAN UNBOUND

At the Crimespree blog is my review of the latest DC Universe animated Superman release—starring the voices of Matt Bomer, Stana Katic, John Noble, and Molly Quinn.

Psych: "Right Turn or Left for Dead"

Over the past two seasons, Shawn and Juliet have developed a romantic relationship to the point, in last week's episode, Juliet realized Shawn was not psychic. Most of the characters believing Shawn's act is Psych's most playful concept and the one viewers have to swallow to watch the show at all. For Shawn and Juliet's relationship to reach its potential, though, Juliet had to find out and accept the truth.

Much of this week's episode played out in Shawn's head as he weighed reality, where Juliet found him out, against how things might have gone if she hadn't. The script and the actors played out both storylines seamlessly. In the end, Shawn was teased with a dream of Juliet coming to terms with his deceit and accepting him. He then woke up to Juliet asking him to move out.

I think this will play out like the tellings of Superman where Lois discovers Clark is Superman. At first, she's thrown for a loop. Having believed in who Clark seemed to be, she feels betrayed by the revelation of who he is. Shawn has it better than Clark. He hasn't built disparate identities. His thin lie about being psychic is the only phony thing about him.

"Banalana?"

My friend John Ricotta sent me the pictured scan from a round of the word game Balderdash played circa 1996 with fellow Hofstra lit mag staffers at John's ancestral summer house in Tannersville, NY. Balderdash involves making up definitions given actual, odd-sounding words. You earn points by coming up with the closest definition, guessing the correct definition from multiple-choice, or getting others to accept your definition. Clearly, none of that was on my mind.