Don’t Freak Out, Ben Affleck is the Next Batman

By Nathan Young on August 23, 2013

Why Warner Brothers, did you have to select Ben Affleck as the new Batman for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel coming out on July 17th, 2015? When the announcement was made last night, it sparked immediate outlash on social media. The hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck has been a top worldwide trending topic on Twitter all day today. By the way, I believe a Martian from Mars Attacks would be a better Batman than Ben Affleck.

Ben Affleck has done a superhero movie before, with disastrous results! The 2003 film Daredevil featured Ben Affleck playing as the blind masked vigilante Daredevil. After the movie, he even vowed to never play another superhero again. So what made Ben Affleck change his mind and put on the Batman suit?

Could it be because Ben Affleck directed and starred in the Oscar winning film Argo?

Is it because he wants to save the world again in the movies like in Armageddon?

Or does Ben Affleck want to redeem himself from the failure of Gigli?

Sure, Ben Affleck has said that he is a huge comic book fan and loves the Daredevil comic books. And I think Warner Bros. thought Ben Affleck would bring his movie making skills to the next superhero movie. Greg Silverman said in a statement, “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.”

I guess Man of Steel director Zack Snyder knew that making Ben Affleck as Batman would bring chaos on social media. Because he said, “Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.” Yes, there is even a Change.org petition asking Warner Bros. to remove Ben Affleck as Batman.

https://www.change.org/petitions/warner-brothers-remove-ben-affleck-as-batman-bruce-wayne-in-the-superman-batman-movie

One part of me is asking why Ben Affleck was chosen to play Bruce Wayne and Batman. I thought there were many other qualified people who could have played the role perfectly! The role of Batman is something to take seriously. Many great actors from the past like Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale have played the role with perfection. I do wonder if George Clooney played the role of Batman well, could Ben Affleck play the role as well? They both have some similar qualities. One does wonder if we could see Matt Damon playing Robin?

Christian Bale was offered $50 million to continue the role of the Caped Crusader, but he turned down the role. Look, I am looking forward to the Superman / Batman movie in 2015. The movie is going to feature Batman and Superman facing off against each other, so who is going to win in that fight? I don’t think Ben Affleck playing Batman and Henry Cavill playing Superman is going to make the movie bad. Most of the crew from Man of Steel is going to make this new movie, and I look forward to seeing this movie in 2015! I hope Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill will not disappoint the fans! Yes, I am giving Ben Affleck a chance in the Batman suit!