Once upon a time Ben Affleck donned a red leather jumpsuit and played a blind superhero by the name Daredevil.
Now Affleck will trade in his red duds in for a black suit, a utility belt and adopt the name Bruce Wayne. That’s right folks. Ben Affleck will portray Batman in the Man of Steel’s sequel due out in July 2015.
Following the news of Affleck being chosen to play the Dark Knight in the unnamed “Man of Steel” sequel, the internet went up in flames.
Negative tweets and blogs posts went up condemning the actor as a good choice for the role. Shifting through the internet, while some posts were indifferent or approved of the choice, I read a plethora of hostile comments. Comic book and movie fans alike declared fatwa on Affleck for taking on the role of Batman.
I guess no one wants Gigli to play Batman. The negativity that surrounds this latest casting decision for the Man of Steel sequel is completely unwarranted. The same kind of criticism was placed upon Heath Ledger when he was casted as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight.”
Ledger went on to captivate audiences with his portrayal of the Joker and debunked his critics. Affleck has a tough act to follow. Nolan’s Batman trilogy is arguably the best manifestation of a comic book character to hit the silver screen.
Christian Bale played Batman in Nolan’s trilogy and the both of them went on to create a movie experience truly special. Comic book and moviegoers recognized that, making it that much harder to let Nolan’s trilogy go and move on to the next Batman.
As someone who affiliates himself with “nerd” culture, I understand going off the handle when Affleck was named the next Batman. He’s not my first choice, but I’m not going to cut him down for playing Batman until I see his portrayal of the superhero.
Due to technology, we as a society flood the internet with, what it seems like, every thought that streams through our heads. That’s not necessarily a good thing, and the hostility that trended on Twitter and hit websites towards Affleck is a prime example of that.
People are judging Affleck’s performance before it has happened. To me, that just seems ridiculous. Let the man prove that he has the acting chops to pull off Batman and if he doesn’t, then people can say what they will.
You’re bats otherwise.
