Geeks logo

Why 'The Outlaw' Clint Eastwood Should Replace Ben Affleck As Director For 'The Batman'

You might think a film like The Batman is a little out of Clint Eastwood's depth, but he has actually tackled projects and characters similar to Batman in the past.

By Tyler S. CallawayPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like
'Gran Torino' [Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]

When I saw Ben Affleck was going to be stepping down as director of The Batman, my heart dropped. I am a huge fan of Ben Affleck's #Batman as well as his directing ventures and it gave me hope that this could end up saving the #DCEU and taking it on its way to competing with Marvel's movie universe. Now, fellow fans and I have to hope that a suitable replacement is found.

I've already seen a lot better writers than me taking their guesses at who'd be a great replacement, but I think I have an off the radar pick that might create a cool take on the film.

I look at Ben Affleck's Batman in a different light. He's an outlaw with a ton of emotional and mental instability. This isn't the over-dramatic Christian Bale or the campy Michael Keaton, this is a very distressed take on the Dark Knight. A director who has specialized in these types of characters is #ClintEastwood.

At first glance, you might think a film like #TheBatman is a little out of Clint Eastwood's depth, but he has actually tackled projects and characters similar to Batman in the past. It takes a little research and analyzing, but his directing resume has a few gems that could point to him being a viable candidate.

Why should Clint Eastwood direct 'The Batman?'

[Credit: Warner Bros.]

Two films that stand out to me are some of his most recents in American Sniper and Sully. In each, the characters are viewed as heroes, but have dark issues creeping up behind them almost identical to how this Batman is viewed in the DCEU. While Chris Kyle and Sully Sullenberger aren't heroes in the superhero sense, they're still heroes nonetheless.

So, Eastwood has tackled characters like Batman, but what about a major blockbuster superhero film like The Batman? While Eastwood has never tackled such a large budgeted blockbuster film like this is destined to be. Let's look into his only movie that comes close to the superhero genre, we're gonna have to go back to 1976 when westerns were The '70's version of the superhero genre, the film I'm referring to is The Outlaw Josey Wales.

'The Outlaw Josey Wales' [Credit: Warner Bros.]

The Outlaw Josey Wales was directed by and stars Clint Eastwood and it tells the story of a farmer whose family is murdered by Union militants during the Civil War. Driven to revenge, Wales joins a Confederate guerrilla band and fights in the Civil War. After the war, all the fighters in Wales's group (except for Wales) surrender to Union officers, but they end up being massacred. Wales becomes an outlaw and is pursued by bounty hunters and Union soldiers.

Josey Wales' story of revenge over his family's death can be compared to Bruce Wayne's. While some might say Batman would never kill like Wales, and they both went about their vendetta's differently, it should be remembered that this iteration of Batman is much darker and is willing to kill.

This film was as close to a superhero film as most people got back in 1976, and the action kept your eyes glued to the screen, which (for me) was an accomplishment. I've never been a big fan of westerns, but this one kept me excited and it's because of how close the film resembled a modern-day superhero movie.

Clint Eastwood can show 'The Batman's true grit.

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' [Credit: Warner Bros.]

We have Eastwood tackling emotionally disturbed heroes like Batman and succeeding in portraying them beautifully on screen and he has experience in creating a tremendous action movie showing off another Batman-esque character.

Eastwood has never been handed the keys to a franchise like this and it's unknown whether he'd have any interest in a project like this, but if he did, it'd be a new take on superhero films.

Clint Eastwood movies always posses that trademark grit that he's known for and that's something this new Batman is trying to convey. This film needs a grounded and dark tone that can continue to give us this interesting take on Batman. One of the biggest problems with any Batman film is always having a more compelling villain then Batman himself and I'm confident that Eastwood could keep the film centered on Batman rather that — in this case — Deathstroke.

movie
Like

About the Creator

Tyler S. Callaway

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.