Ben Affleck is done keeping quiet about his feelings on comicbook movies. He’s been open about why he took on the Bat-cowl, and now the actor and filmmaker praises Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige as “the greatest producer.” Now, someone replace Hugh Jackman for Feige in “The Greatest Showman,” pronto.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast about his 2020 film “The Way Back,” Affleck reflected on his various collaborations over his acting career. At one point, his role in 2003’s “Daredevil” came up, a film co-produced by Feige. “Kevin Feige is absolutely; you have to say, the greatest producer, most successful producer who ever lived,” Affleck said. “He’s the only guy in the world who, if he told me, ‘I know what the audience wants! This is what we’re doing!’ I would believe him 100%.”
“That fucker knows his audience like no producer (ever); he’s a genius,” Affleck added. “Kevin is like a ringmaster at the circus; he knows exactly how much to wink at the audience, exactly when to pull at the heartstrings, exactly when to do the effects, how many jokes, what the sensibility, what the tone is. Because people didn’t know to run away from the pajamas or embrace it or make it serious.”
It’s hard to argue against that, given just how incredibly successful Feige’s work with the MCU has been. At the moment, Affleck doesn’t have any project or collaboration lined up with Marvel or Feige himself, but he is scheduled to direct a film for Disney, so maybe this would lead to something more down the road? In the meantime, Affleck is scheduled to once again play Batman in “The Flash.”