Ben Affleck is quickly ascending up the directing chain. The Town was a huge success for Warner Brothers and, judging from the trailer, Argo looks like it just might deliver the goods as well. We live in a world where Ben Affleck is potentially three releases deep and has yet to deliver a bad picture. That’s an astounding turn around for an artist everyone had all but written off as “Mr. J-Lo” not too long ago.
And with Affleck’s directing prowess bringing accolades, it’s no surprise that Warner Brothers would like to keep him in-house for the foreseeable future. And they think they’ve found just the way to do it: Justice League.
Indeed, Variety‘s reporting that of the short list of directorial candidates, Affleck is the only one who’s been sent Will Beall’s script – one that brings DC heavyweights Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Green Lantern together on the big screen. One potential sticking point is Affleck’s supposed insistence on only directing films that he also stars in. Though, after Gone, Baby, Gone, I have a hard time believing he’s not confident being shrouded behind a lens. Even so, Affleck does have a bit of Hal Jordan in him.
I understand WB’s reasoning, and I don’t doubt that Affleck could put out a fine Justice League (I’m a DC guy, admittedly). But I’m hesitant to celebrate if Affleck ultimately decides to take the job. JL is going to be a huge undertaking for any director, one that’ll take them off the books for a few years. Affleck’s proven himself as a director capable of handling weightier dramatic fare with aplomb, something sorely lacking in major releases right now. I’d hate to think the director of The Town is turning down more appealing projects because he’s trying to figure out what swooshing noises The Flash should make when he hits lightspeed.
What do you think? If not Affleck, then who would you like to see bring Justice League to the big screen?