Nordling here.
As Ron Burgundy can attest, like milk on a hot summer day, this is a bad choice. Okay, it's not bad for JUSTICE LEAGUE, but it would be bad for Ben Affleck, who, frankly, is better than this as a director at this point. Variety is reporting that Warner Brothers wants Affleck to direct their JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, and possibly to star in it as well.
With the Whedon announcement on AVENGERS 2 yesterday, WB must be very antsy indeed to get this franchise off the ground. Reports are that Affleck is the only director that the studio is showing Will Beall's script to right now, and he should be talking with the upper management in the next few days about the project, if the article is accurate.
Here's the thing - I think Affleck's too good for this. As a director, he's made some fantastic movies. His next, ARGO, looks to continue with that streak. As much as I'd like to see a good JUSTICE LEAGUE movie, so far the gritty movies that Affleck has made don't seem to have that kind of vibe.
Honestly? WB should build up and have Ben Affleck direct the Batman reboot. Have Affleck direct a new Batman movie with his own personal stamp, away from Nolan's and build from that. Perhaps something similar to the animated series? Affleck's directorial skills would work in that way, in my opinion. Wait a few years and build the roster up. Sure, Marvel did it already with THE AVENGERS, but they were SMART in doing that - it wasn't a gimmick. People had become familiar with the characters, and more importantly, with the actors playing them. I think it would be smart to do the same with JUSTICE LEAGUE. But, if the script works, Ben Affleck may want to go ahead, and if so, more power to him. He's a terrific director, and he's earned a major franchise like this.
