Reaction was swift and powerful to the announcement that Ben Affleck will play iconic DC character Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel (see "Ben Affleck Will Play Batman"). Apparently concerned that Affleck’s turn as Daredevil indicated his general unsuitability for superhero roles, fans were in an uproar on social media, with numerous petitions started on Change.org. The most successful one, asking Warner Bros. to drop Affleck, had over 65,000 signatures by around 72 hours after the announcement. That petition spawned an anti-petition petition, which called the Affleck petition "a frivolous use of the resources of Change.org." The petition opposing the anti-Affleck petition had attracted 32 signatures.
Some high profile defenders of Affleck emerged. The Avengers director Joss Whedon offered a collegial tweet. "Affleck’ll crush it," he said. "He’s got the chops, he’s got the chin--just needs the material. Affleck & Cavill two to tow--I’m in."
And two former Batman actors weighed in. Val Kilmer tweeted, "Give Ben a chance!," while Adam West tweeted, "Remember Ben, with the cape and cowl comes great responsibility (and lots of heat). Bring deodorant."
It’s unlikely Warners will make any changes due to the outcry, which must have been anticipated.
Whedon, Others Support
Posted by ICv2 on August 26, 2013 @ 2:03 am CT
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