In a bit of astounding casting news, Ben Affleck has been tapped to play Batman in the yet-untitled Man of Steel sequel that involves the sparring world’s two preiminent superheroes. While speculation has been stirring amongst the interwebs since DC‘s announcement that this Zack Synder directed Superman/Batman film would be next on their plate, most reports pointed towards an older iteration of the hero last played by Christian Bale.

I can say with full assurance that the move to put Affleck in the batshoes is one that no-one, and I mean no-one, saw coming. Though Affleck is no stranger to superhero films – he played the eponymous character in the 2003’s lackluster Daredevil – his casting is certainly a move from left field. Early reports that suggested this version of the golden-aged hero would be older does however fit in line with Alleck’s 41 years of age.

While Affleck was certainly on the outs with the mainstream following his slow descent into crappy waters – I think we can all agree that we were done after Gigli – his star has been massively rising lately with his role behind the camera fueling said resurgence. Although his latest film Argo went on to win Best Picture at this years Oscar ceremonies, Affleck was hugely snubbed of a nomination, even though he went on to win practically every other Best Director award on the market. This hardly seems to be slowing Affleck down though. While this move into a hugely high profile blockbuster, in which he presumably will not be responsible for any of the work outside of the lens, is a risky maneuver for sure, it is a bit of a second chance for Affleck as a bankable actor.

If his performance in the role is seen as a success, he will surely re-solidify his place amongst the top of the elite A-listers but a Daredevil-sized flop could cause a change of the tide with people’s willingness to accept Affleck back into their good graces turning on a dime. Seeing that he’s on top of his game right now behind the camera, it surely seems like a chancy move on his part. That is, unless early reports that he was being vetted to direct the Justice League movie turn out to be true. If that is indeed the case, it would certainly make sense why Affleck was tapped, especially considering his penchant for putting himself front-and-center in the film’s that he directs.

Per the press release from the DC headquarters, Greg Silverman claimed that they needed the star power of a talent like Affleck:

“We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some,”. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

For now, all we know is that Affleck will be donning the Batsuit and fighting against, and eventually alongside, Henry Cavill as Superman. While an uprising of sorts is a sort of inevitability among the easily stirred up masses, this is the sort of risky business that you can at least respect for turning against expectation and giving us something to talk about for the coming months.

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