Even though Ben Affleck is best known in recent years for his appearances as the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the upcoming Zack Snyder’s Justice League, he got his start in comic book movies way back in 2003 as the man without fear, Daredevil. Though Affleck’s time as old hornhead came years before the Marvel Cinematic Universe would redefine Hollywood, he still found himself on the set of the adaptation working with none other than current Marvel president Kevin Feige. Though just a co-producer at the time, Affleck has clear fond memories of working with Feige and nothing but respect for what he’s been able to do with the Marvel characters on the big screen.
“F***ing Kevin Feige is absolutely, you have to say, the greatest producer, most successful producer who ever lived,” Affleck said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “He’s the only guy in the world who, if he told me, ‘I know what the audience wants! This is what we’re doing!’ I would believe him 100%.” That f***er knows his audience like no producer (ever), he’s a genius. Kevin is like a ringmaster at the circus, he knows exactly how much to wink at the audience, exactly when to pull at the heartstrings, exactly when to do the effects, how many jokes, what the sensibility, what the tone is. Because people didn’t know to run away from the pajamas or embrace it, or make it serious.”
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Affleck’s praise for Feige came while talking about working on the 2003 Daredevil movie, which he lamented “wasn’t a very good movie.”
As further proof that time is in fact a flat circle, Daredevil and Kevin Feige’s paths may cross again soon. Rumors were previously reported about Charlie Cox, who took on the role for the Marvel Television/Netflix series, will reprise his part for the upcoming third Spider-Man. This hasn’t been confirmed by Marvel Studios and when asked about it in a recent interview Feige didn’t deny it.
“I look at anything that’s happened before, whether it’s our movies, whether it’s Marvel Entertainment TV series, and, particularly, obviously, the comics, video games, cartoons … all of it is available as inspiration for the future of Marvel,” Feige shared with Collider when asked if the MCU would incorporate elements from the Netflix series. “That’s the way the comics have worked for 80 years. So, we’ll see.”
To add further fuel to Affleck’s fire about Feige’s place as the “most successful producer who ever lived,” Marvel Studios has an incredibly ambitious slate of programming confirmed through the next three years with ideas stretching out as far as 2028.
(Kevin Feige photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
