Cinematographer Robert Richardson — who is NOT working on director Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN — was a guest on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast with host Josh Horowitz. Mr. Richardson talked about a variety of his films including one that didn’t happen: Ben Affleck’s THE BATMAN.
When asked if there was a project he wanted to do but didn’t…
“I wanted to shoot Batman with Ben [Affleck] because that was the next film we had. There was a script, but not a loved script. There was a lot of work he was doing to it to change it.”
What would the film had been about…
“Well, [Affleck] was going into more of the insanity aspects. I think you would’ve seen something darker than what we’ve seen in the past and more into the individual – who’s inside of Batman. What element might be sane and what element might not be sane. He was entering more into the Arkham, he’s going into where everyone was bad.”
A few thoughts…
Richardson confirmed the rumor that most/a lot of Affleck’s Batman film would’ve been set in Arkham Asylum.
Also, the script clearly wasn’t up to snuff — which Ben Affleck himself has publicly said (“I couldn’t crack it.”) — despite the biased and hyperbolic claim that it was the best Batman script ever written.
I’ve long said that a Ben Affleck solo Batman film — one that he would write, direct, and star in — was doomed from the moment he was cast as Batman in 2013. Why? Because he really didn’t have a burning passion for the project or a story to tell. He was unfairly thrust into the position of creating this great Batman movie because he was “Ben Affleck” and supposed to.
Anyway, it’s all a moot point now.
Click on the links provided to listen to the full podcast. – Bill “Jett” Ramey