Ben Affleck Elevates ‘Justice League’ Presence; Becomes Exec Producer
EXCLUSIVE:
Warner Bros has made a subtle addition to the
Justice League braintrust.
Ben Affleck, already set to co-star in the film, has signed on to become its executive producer as well. In that role, he will work with director
Zack Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio behind the scenes to make the film the best it can be. It seems like a smart move, given that Affleck is already on the premises to reprise his Batman/Bruce Wayne character, and because he’s as strong a storytelling presence as Warner Bros has on its lot. He showed that with his writing/directing efforts
Gone Baby Gone, The Town and
Argo, the latter of which won the Best Picture Oscar for Warner Bros and was scripted by Terrio, who also won an Academy Award for the film. I’m told that Affleck is doing this to be supportive of Snyder, with whom he worked well on
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which grossed $864 million worldwide despite not being beloved by the critics. Warner Bros is still figuring out its stylistic superhero mojo, and Affleck will help.
Justice League is slotted for a November 17, 2017 release, and Affleck’s Batman is expected to be paired alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, and likely Jason Momoa’s Aquaman.
Affleck, who followed his Batman turn by directing and starring in his scripted adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel
Live By Night for an October 20, 2017 release by Warner Bros, is building toward a relaunch of the Batman franchise as a standalone. As Deadline revealed last Comic-Con, he has teamed with DC’s Geoff Johns to write the movie he’ll star in and direct.
