Mad Men Actor Jon Hamm Rumored to Replace Ben Affleck as Batman
According to sources at Radar Online, Jon Hamm is in the running to replace Ben Affleck as Batman in the DC Universe. But more importantly, Hamm has been actively campaigning for the role. As many know, Ben Affleck’s presence in the DCEU has been up in the air for a while now. But now that the dust around Justice League has settled in a disappointing manner, Affleck’s exit is more likely than not.
According to Radar, Hamm has been trying hard to get his name in the running for some time now. He’s been a friend of Affleck’s for a few years, even playing a part in Affleck’s The Town. Many have speculated that this could be a small betrayal on Hamm’s part. But chances are Affleck told him about his reluctance to continue in the Warner Bros. franchise.
Before both actor’s quit cold turkey they were drinking buddies. Affleck has likely confided in Hamm about the troubles he’s had with the part over a long period of time. Now that Affleck might be making his way out of the universe, he might be helping his friend Jon Hamm grab the baton.
Whether or not he has the current Batman’s blessing, Hamm wants a chance at playing the greatest superhero ever created. And why not? He’s had recent success in Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver and his co-star has been connected to the role of Catwoman. Rumors state Hamm has even gone so far as to speak to The Batman director Matt Reeves about the part. Even though Reeves is said to favor Jake Gyllennhaal.
But as Hamm(46) is much closer to Affleck(45) in age, Warner Bros. thinks it could be a much easier transition.
The Right Look
There’s a certain look to Batman. That’s not referring to his outside exterior. Most people know that the studios cast for Bruce Wayne before they cast for Batman. The cape and cowl is what takes center stage when Batman appears. Only the voice underneath is up to the actor’s interpretation, for better or worse.
No, the “certain look” refers to Batman’s focus and obsession. Ben Affleck in the first Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer had the perfect mix of duty and desire. An understanding that putting on the suit means something difficult but something that needs to get done.
Jon Hamm has spent most of his career staring down the bottom of the bottle as Don Draper. The protagonist to Mad Men, one of the best TV series ever, is an anti-hero at best. As the character treats friends, family, and enemies as pawns and pieces in his game of life. While it comes from a different place, it’s not unlike how Bruce Wayne views the world.
Tearing Back the Veil
In Scott Snyder’s Batman series Bruce treats his Batfamily as soldiers in his war on crime. That leads to Joker creating particularly destructive mayhem for the life Bruce has created in the Death of the Family story-line. Jon Hamm is no stranger to the thousand-yard-stare.
Could Jon Hamm play the kind of man who stays up at night obsessed with one thing and one thing only? You’re damn right he can. He did that for 7 seasons as one of the most complex characters to ever grace any screen. A representation of man at a certain age and time: lost, driven, and with no place to go. The epitome of an immortal stone statue fading under the winds and weight of change. He didn’t face this change with the stoicism of the perfect man. No, he lost himself in his vices and never came out the other side.
Whether or not he’s saving the world, Bruce Wayne is a man of conflict. A caped crusader driven by sadness and vengeance; tasked and destined to do as much good as physically possible. Jon Hamm spent years playing a masculine and flawed alpha male with countless secrets and vulnerabilities.
Sounds just like Bruce Wayne, the Batman.
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