Go outside and ask anyone what they think about Ben Affleck as Batman in the forthcoming “Man of Steel” sequel and they’ll have an opinion set in stone, one way or the other. The reaction to his casting in “Batman Vs. Superman” has been hyperbolic in some quarters, with judgments already being pronounced long before even a piece of footage has been shot. We suppose that’s just par for the course when it comes to any beloved character or franchise (prepare to watch the Internet convulse whenever the “Star Wars: Episode 7” cast is revealed), but for “Man of Steel” composer Hans Zimmer, he was a bit dismayed to see how it played out.
“I think [the response to Affleck’s casting] was incredibly vicious,” he told Collider. “I think the way he got attacked was unbelievable. But you know something, when Chris [Nolan] cast Heath Ledger as The Joker maybe we weren’t quite as big yet and maybe it wasn’t quite as visible, but there was a lot of that going on as well, that it was a complete miscasting and ‘only Jack Nicholson can play The Joker.’ ” And when it comes to Affleck, Zimmer has faith the actor is the right choice.
“He’ll be a really good Batman. It’s really quite simple, the man isn’t a fool and he’s not gonna set himself up for a fall,” the composer said. “He’s a great filmmaker in his own right, he really is… I think he’s become a much more astute actor and I think he’ll make a great Batman, I think he knows exactly what he’s doing. So do I think it’s a good idea? Yes, I think it’s a good idea. I think he’s great casting.”
But the key question is whether or not Zimmer will be watching the sequel as a fan or participant, as he’s still uncertain about whether or not he’ll return to score the movie. His concern lies with creating music for another iteration of Batman, and the baggage that will carry. “It’s creating a bit of a problem in my head right now. Quite honestly, I’ve gotta sit down with Zack [Snyder] and have a chat with him about what he’s trying to do because what I don’t want to do is go back to that well,” he said. “It’s a different Batman; Christian Bale and what I did with Chris, that needs to have its autonomous life. I don’t want to go and now appropriate that and put that into the other Batman.”
And that’s certainly a fair concern. But what do you think? Can Zimmer strike gold twice—his work on the “The Dark Knight” trilogy is iconic stuff—or is he wise to move on? Let us know below. “Batman Vs. Superman” arrives on July 17, 2015.
