ICYMI: Ben Affleck Cast As Batman, Internet Exploded

The most I ever liked Ben Affleck was Bennifer 1.0

I firmly believe that it’s on the days I’m not waiting at my computer for a story to break so I can write about it is when the most important stories break. Like tonight. I was at a screening of You’re Next (loved it, stay tuned for a review) and when I got home, I checked Twitter and there it was: Ben Affleck cast as Batman.

Someone, I think it was Rachel Dratch, once described Twitter as the following: it’s like walking into a room with everyone in the room shouting their opinions at the top of their lungs. This is very much the truth and it was never more clear than tonight. The internet is a…very scary place. Like, only Lady Gaga and her fans and Ben Affleck being cast as Batman can cause everyone to get out a knife and stand up against the wall ready to fight. Relaaaaaaax everyone. But let’s get to the real story here: Zack Snyder is trying to kill us, in particular me. If you’ve been following this blog long enough, you know my issues with him and know how much I disliked Man of Steel. It’s no surprise then that I am not particularly excited for Man of Steel 2: Batman vs. Superman or whatever the actual title of this hot mess of a movie is. So, to lessen whatever remaining excitement I may have had (burried somewhere very deep inside me, below all of the blackness), they go and cast Ben Affleck. I just… I can’t.

Look: I like Ben. He’s a fine director, but the fact is he’s just not a very good actor. He’s just never been my favourite. I mean, if we had to choose which best friend to hang out with, we’d always choose Matt Damon, right? Right! (If you chose Ben you can leave now). At the end of the day, more than anything else, this is just a very uninspired choice. I didn’t need it to Idris Elba to make me crash my car into a bridge because I love it for how daring and fresh it is. No. But I didn’t need to be Ben Affleck either. Is this casting choice as rage inducing as Twitter made it to be? No but… I get it. This isn’t about him being capable or not for the role; Bruce Wayne isn’t the deepest of characters, so I’m not counting on this being the end all and be all of Batman. And also: IT IS BATMAN. Let’s all reeeeeeelax. But…it’s just…anyone else. ANYONE.

Also:  1) “At least it wasn’t Ryan Gosling” is a thing I don’t want to see. Sure, Gosling is tired of Gosling but when you cast Gosling, for the most part, you know you’re going to get a quality performance. I’m not saying I wanted to see Ryan Gosling play Bruce Wayne, no, but it would have been a more exciting pick. And 2) “When Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker, everyone complained and then look at the performance we got” is something that also needs to stop. Is this wrong? Not necessarily but Ledger being cast as The Joker is about a million times more original and daring than Ben Affleck as Batman. There is nothing original or daring about it, which will, maybe, ultimately, be the downfall of this casting choice…

At the very least, it wasn’t Justin TImberlake so…there is that…