Movie Power Rankings: ‘Man of Steel 2’ and Ben Affleck steal the top spot

Unless you’ve been living in a Batcave for the last week or so, you can probably guess why “Man of Steel 2” (or “Superman Vs. Batman” or whatever it ends up being called) tops this edition of Movie Power Rankings. Warner Bros. and director Zack Snyder’s decision to hire Ben Affleck as Batman inspired an unprecedented amount of online hand-wringing, leading to countless #Batfleck jokes on Twitter and beyond. Of course, we’re months away from seeing a single frame (or pixel) of the film, but fans are obviously very protective of Gotham City’s protector, and are very vocal about who should play him. What’s your take on Affleckgate?

As for the rest of this week’s list…

August 28, 2013

1. “Man of Steel 2” (Last week: Not ranked)
Maybe the sequel should be called “Ben Affleck vs. The Internet.”

2. “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” (Last week: No. 1)
The historical drama stayed at No. 1 at the box office, despite a strong debut by “The World’s End.”

3. Venice Film Festival (Last week: Not ranked)
The prestigious Venice Film Festival launches this week with Alfonso Cuaron”s “Gravity,” starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Other films include Stephen Frears” “Philomena,” and James Franco”s “Child of God.” Will Oscar be the next stop for any of the fest’s programmed films?

4. “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” (Last week: Not ranked)
Elizabeth Olsen is likely going to play the Scarlet Witch. Thoughts?

5. “Tomorrowland” (Last week: Not ranked)
Brad Bird’s top secret project — starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and Britt Robertson — has finally started shooting. Does that mean that answers will be coming soon?

6. “Divergent” (Last week: Not ranked)
The MTV VMAs weren’t entirely about Miley Cyrus’ buttocks and Robin Thicke’s “Beetlejuice” suit — a new teaser trailer for “Divergent” debuted during the show.

7. “The Stand” (Last week: Not ranked)
Warner Brothers” delayed adaptation of Steven King”s epic masterpiece has gotten a new director, as Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) has replaced the new Batman, Ben Affleck. Will this please Randall Flagg?

8. “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay” (Last week: Not ranked)
The series’ two-part final installment is borrowing a page from “Game of Thrones” by casting Natalie Dormer in the role of Cressida. Fans will likely be happy. 

9. “Avatar” (Last week: Not ranked)
Steven Charles Gould (“Jumper”) has been tapped to write four stand-alone novels based on James Cameron”s money-making 3D franchise. 3D glasses not included. 

10. Amy Schumer (Last week: Not ranked)
The “Inside Amy Schumer” star is teaming with Judd Apatow for a big screen comedy. 

Check out the previous edition here. What do you think of this week’s rankings? Share your thoughts below. Or tweet your thoughts with the hashtag #moviepowerrankings and tell us who you want to see in next week’s edition. 

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