Reaction mixed to Affleck playing Batman
LOS ANGELES — Ben Affleck will don Batman’s cape and cowl.
But many fans are not happy at the casting choice, still fuming over Affleck’s ill-received 2003 turn as Marvel’s blind crime fighter, Daredevil.
Warner Bros. says the 41-yearold actor-director will star as a new incarnation of the Dark Knight in a film bringing Batman and Superman together.
The studio said Affleck will star opposite 30-year-old Henry Cavill, who will reprise his role as Superman from Man of Steel. The new movie will also feature Man of Steel stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and Diane Lane as Martha Kent.
Reaction on Twitter and other social media was swift — sometimes humorous but some also scathing.
Richard Dreyfuss joked he tried for the role, tweeting: “You read for a part, you feel good about it, you feel confident, then they cast Ben Affleck.”
Others suggested previous Affleck co-stars, with British actor Robert Kazinsky touting Matt Damon as the Joker and film critic Stephen Whitty rather unkindly saying former Affleck girlfriend and Gigli co-star Jennifer Lopez should be cast as Catwoman to “torpedo the whole thing.”
A Ben Affleck Batman parody Twitter account popped up and quickly amassed 12,000 followers, with such messages as: “I am proud to serve the people of Gotham. And the people are proud to have me.”
Director Zack Snyder first re- vealed the big-screen DC Comics superhero mash-up at last month’s Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Snyder, who will direct the sequel written by Man of Steel screenwriter David S. Goyer, said Affleck will provide an “interesting counter-balance” to Cavill’s Clark Kent.
Affleck “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,” Snyder said. “I can’t wait to work with him.”
Production on the as-yet-untitled film is expected to begin in 2014 for release July 17, 2015.
In addition to his take on Daredevil, Affleck portrayed 1950s Superman actor George Reeves in the 2006 drama Hollywoodland.