Ben Affleck’s Batman Was Great, But His ‘Gone Girl’ Casting is Untouchable for a Real-Life Killer Resemblance: ‘It’s actually frightening’

SUMMARY

• While Ben Affleck was great as Batman, his casting in Gone Girl was simply perfect.
• The actor shared an uncanny resemblance with the main inspiration for his character.
• The author's experience in reporting contributed to the story.

For all the shortcomings that the now-defunct DCEU sustained, one thing that Zack Snyder mostly got right was the casting, whether it be Henry Cavill’s Superman or Ben Affleck’s Batman. Interestingly, like most Batman actors, Affleck wasn’t initially seen as a good choice for the Caped Crusader, and even though his version of the character left a lot to be desired on the physical front, the actor nailed the role overall.

Ben Affleck in Gone Girl | Credit: 20th Century Studios

However, his stint as Bruce Wayne doesn’t come close to the actor’s casting in one of the most beloved crime thrillers of the last decade, as fans can’t get over his uncanny resemblance to the real-life inspiration for his character.

Ben Affleck’s resemblance to Gone Girl‘s real-life inspiration is uncanny

American Murder: Laci Peterson | Credit: Netflix

While Gone Girl is a fictional story penned by Gillian Flynn, the author did confess to taking real-life inspiration, which seemingly includes the case of Laci Peterson, who was murdered by her husband, Scott Peterson. Although the film greatly differs from the real-life case in many ways, especially the ending, in which it turns out Amy is alive, there are certainly many parallels between the two.

But it’s the uncanny resemblance between Scott, who was convicted of murdering his wife, and Ben Affleck‘s Nicholas that has taken many by shock after the Netflix documentary, American Murder: Laci Peterson, dropped. While this wasn’t the lone source of inspiration for David Fincher‘s acclaimed crime thriller, the casting couldn’t have been more perfect for the lead, in both terms of resemblance and demeanor. Speaking of the uncanny similarity, one user noted (via X):

Apart from immaculate performances from both Affleck and Rosamund Pike, the gripping story can be further credited to the author’s obsession with True Crime.

True Crime influenced Gone Girl‘s narrative

Gone Girl | Credit: 20th Century Studios

Prior to dipping her toes in penning fiction, Gillian Flynn excelled in the field of reporting, which came in handy during the creation of Gone Girl. Considering she was well-versed in the realm of true crime, this inspired her to pen the acclaimed crime novel. But the novelist later added that she “definitely didn’t want to do anything specific” regarding the Laci Peterson case in particular (via The Guardian).

I’m a true-crime addict. It’s not something I’m particularly proud of, but I can’t stop. You watch those shows like everyone else does. A wife goes missing; you assume that the husband did it. To me, that was a very interesting idea.

But given the obvious parallels between both the real-life case and the movie, it’s hard to not see the direct influence, and Ben Affleck’s casting is simply the cherry on top.

Gone Girl is available to stream on Netflix.

Written by Santanu Roy

Articles Published: 1990

Santanu Roy is a film enthusiast with a deep love for the medium of animation while also being obsessed with The Everly Brothers, Billy Joel, and The Platters. Having expertise in everything related to Batman, Santanu spends most of his time watching and learning films, with Martin Scorsese and Park Chan-wook being his personal favorites. Apart from pursuing a degree in animation, he also possesses a deep fondness for narrative-driven games and is currently a writer at Fandomwire with over 1500 articles.