And the new Batman is....

[AUChizad]

I normally agree with most of your movie thoughts, but you have done lost your friggin mind.

Which part specifically?

[Godfather]

Which part specifically?

This whole thread part, and your opinions on the past, present, and future Batman.

I don't even mind Affleck, but not as fucking Batman.

[AUChizad]

This whole thread part, and your opinions on the past, present, and future Batman.

I don't even mind Affleck, but not as fucking Batman.

I think people have difficulty differentiating between the casting, the performance, and the script, which the actor has no control over.

Here's my rankings, which vary greatly based on these three categories. Excluding Affleck, since we only know one part of the equation so far.

Casting	Performance	Material	Overall
Clooney	Keaton	Bale	Keaton
Keaton	Bale	Keaton	Bale
Kilmer	Kilmer	Kilmer	Clooney
Bale	Clooney	Clooney	Kilmer

[Snaggletiger]

All a matter of taste.  Just like the 158 different actors who have played James Bond.  I know several of you obviously have strong opinions about teh Batmanz and who should play him.  I don't because like most movies that have a hundred sequels, I lose interest.  Having a new Batman every time is like reinventing him with each new movie.  Will I like him?  Will he be believable as Batman.  Michael Keaton as Batman?  Just too much of a stretch for me to find him believable after Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice etc.

Like em' or hate em'....Toby Maguire is Peter Parker....Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark....Johnny Depp is Capt. Jack Sparrow....Bill Fagerbakke is the voice of Patrick Star.  Just the way it is.   

[Townhallsavoy]

All a matter of taste.  Just like the 158 different actors who have played James Bond.  I know several of you obviously have strong opinions about teh Batmanz and who should play him.  I don't because like most movies that have a hundred sequels, I lose interest.  Having a new Batman every time is like reinventing him with each new movie.  Will I like him?  Will he be believable as Batman.  Michael Keaton as Batman?  Just too much of a stretch for me to find him believable after Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice etc.

Like em' or hate em'....Toby Maguire is Peter Parker....Robert Downey, Jr. is Tony Stark....Johnny Depp is Capt. Jack Sparrow....Bill Fagerbakke is the voice of Patrick Star.  Just the way it is.   

Toby Maguire is not Peter Parker.  He was awful.

Downey Jr was a great Stark. 

And as for James Bond, that's a great example.  James Bond is a particular character with specific traits.  Would you all be ok with Gerald Butler being the next James Bond?  He has ZERO qualities to do so.  Nothing gives you the idea that Gerald Butler would make a good James Bond. 

This is like the Jake Holland thread, and Chizad is Prowler.  Sure Jake Holland has the physical features.  6+ feet.  240 pounds.  Curly Jew hair.  And sure if he gets the right script in front of him, it could be okay.

But there's no reason to count on it. 

[AUChizad]

Toby Maguire is not Peter Parker.  He was awful.

Downey Jr was a great Stark. 

And as for James Bond, that's a great example.  James Bond is a particular character with specific traits.  Would you all be ok with Gerald Butler being the next James Bond?  He has ZERO qualities to do so.  Nothing gives you the idea that Gerald Butler would make a good James Bond. 

This is like the Jake Holland thread, and Chizad is Prowler.  Sure Jake Holland has the physical features.  6+ feet.  240 pounds.  Curly Jew hair.  And sure if he gets the right script in front of him, it could be okay.

But there's no reason to count on it.

I'd like to remind you that I'm also on the unpopular end of that argument as well.

[Kaos]

Once again, I'm going to take the minority position on this. Twitter as a whole lost their shoot over this choice as well.

I think Ben Affleck is the perfect Bruce Wayne. Best casting of the role in film history, IMO. The chin alone nails it.

Prior to this, in my opinion, George Clooney was the best cast Wayne, albeit in hands down the worst movie.

Contrarily, Bale was the worst cast Wayne in the best movie(s).

From a physical standpoint, Bruce is supposed to be stocky, and ruggedly handsome with a protruding, dimpled chin. Bale was skinny, clean cut, with kinda-long blondish hair. And don't get me started on his "Batman voice".

And let's not forget how much people bitched about Heath Ledger as the Joker when that was first announced.

All in all, I applaud the choice. Even if I'm on an island.

I've sworn off profanity, but this pushed me to the edge. 

You've lost your f!@($%#!@&* mind. 

I love three things in the world beyond family, God and country. 

1) Auburn
2) KISS
3) Batman

I've got more Batman comics than probably anybody you know.  Not only do I have them (dating back to the early 50s) but I've also read them.  I've read the graphic novels.  I've read the short term comic series.   I've read Detective, Batman, Legends of the Dark Knight, Catwoman, Robin, Azarel, Harley Q, Shadow of the Bat, Nightwing and a bunch I can't even remember.

I WAS the Joker at the 1989 premiere and battled a drunk Batman who parachuted in, missed his landing and bounced off the roof of a car in the parking lot of the theater.  Yes, I dyed my hair, painted my face and bought the purple and green wardrobe to pull that off.  I signed hundreds of "Joker" autographs. 

I've found a reason to enjoy almost every incarnation of The Bat.  I appreciate the funny/campy Adam West version. I liked the old man Frank Miller devised.  I liked the image Dennis O'Neill crafted.  I liked Alan Moore's Batman from Killing Joke. 

I appreciated the various cartoon versions and was particularly impressed with Mask of the Phantasm, even if it did have Luke Skywalker as Joker.

I found something to like in almost all the movie versions (with the exception of the one that had Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey in it, I pretend that didn't exist).  I don't think the silly Tim Burton films hold up over time (partially because he's a one-note hack).  And while I think Batman was probably the best role Michael Keaton has played in his career -- Beetlejuice excepted -- he didn't have the requiste physicality to completely own the role.  It was about the same as having Bill Murray take the role at the time. 

I wasn't a huge fan of Bale's effort, but he brought something to the character. 

Ben Affleck knows one range:  cream-of-wheat bland smarm. 

Damon, I'd be fine with.   I'd have accepted Denzel 15 years ago. 

But this?   

As a long-time Bat-fan, this is the one of the worst possible casting choices they could have made.  It's the equivalent of hiring Nicholas Cage as Indiana Jones.  Or John Travolta as Spock. 

It's trashing the character. 

He sucks.  Now if he'd been hired to help direct the film?  Yeah, that I'd be happy with. 

Thanks for the punch in the nuts, Zack Snyder. 

Here's a list of people I would have chosen over Bland Ben.




Real list?
Olyphant. Lacks the physicality, but could bulk up.

Kit Harrington I think would end up being a very good fit.

The guy who plays DiNozzo on NCIS would be a late option. Needs a little beef and would have to tone down the smarm

[Kaos]

Here's a better choice.

Dale DaBone

[Townhallsavoy]

 

[AUChizad]

This is like the Jake Holland thread, and Chizad is Prowler.  Sure Jake Holland has the physical features.  6+ feet.  240 pounds.  Curly Jew hair.  And sure if he gets the right script in front of him, it could be okay.

You know? It is like that. And probably why I take the contrarian opinion.

I'm naturally averse to people being unwaveringly positive that something's going to be a failure without any concrete reason to believe it. Besides the fact that everyone says it, so it must be true. Pessimistic cynicism. Zero willingness to give the benefit of the doubt. guilty until proven inncemt. It annoys me.

[Kaos]

You know? It is like that. And probably why I take the contrarian opinion.

I'm naturally averse to people being unwaveringly positive that something's going to be a failure without any concrete reason to believe it. Besides the fact that everyone says it, so it must be true. Pessimistic cynicism. Zero willingness to give the benefit of the doubt. guilty until proven inncemt. It annoys me.

 


Oh, and....

[AUChizad]

Knee-jerk reactionary blind rage is giving way to my rational reserved, correct point of view slowly. I'll give the rest of you time as well.

http://nerdcoremovement.com/judge-slowly-top-five-reasons-ben-affleck-can-pull-off-batman-and-do-it-well/

JUDGE SLOWLY: TOP FIVE REASONS BEN AFFLECK CAN PULL OFF BATMAN (AND DO IT WELL)
POSTED BY NERDCOREMOVEMENT
 
BEN AFFLECK IS GOING TO PLAY BATMAN BUT THERE ARE FIVE REALLY GOOD REASONS WHY HE CAN PULL OFF THE ROLE AND DO IT JUSTICE…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Follow on Twitter @DamonMartin

The entire internet seemingly exploded on Thursday with the news that Ben Affleck was cast as Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel due to begin filming next year for a July 2015 release.

While there has been some positive reaction to the news, the majority of fans have let out a collective groan about the casting choice of director Zach Snyder and those behind the franchise that could be putting Affleck under the cape and cowl for the next decade depending on how successful the upcoming film ends up, and with other sequels and possible team-up films happening down the line.

There were literally dozens of articles (including one on this site) speculating on who could end up in the role of Batman. Everyone from Josh Brolin to Ryan Gosling was potentially on the list, with just about everyone begging for the return of Christian Bale and no one targeting Affleck for the role. As a matter of fact, there were virtually zero rumors that Affleck was even in the running for the part—proof once again that you can’t believe everything you hear until the studio tells you for sure it’s true.

Now, I’m not going to deny the fact that I am a Ben Affleck fan.

From his days where he served as bad-sock-wearing loyal best friend Chucky in Good Will Hunting to his role as lesbian loverman Holden McNeil in Chasing Amy to a Wall Street shark in Boiler Room—Affleck had many memorable movie moments early in his career. Even in some of the darker days (Gigli) he still managed to pull off some pretty great acting in films like Jersey Girl (don’t let the critics fool you, if you delete Jennifer Lopez from existence this isn’t a bad movie), and came back stronger than ever with films like The Town and Argo.

Today, I’m going to give you five good reasons why Affleck can pull off Batman on the big screen, and why you should judge slowly and give him a chance before reducing him to Brandon Routh status.

1. YES, AFFLECK HAS DONE A SUPERHERO FILM BEFORE. YES, IT WAS BAD. EVEN HE KNOWS THAT
The minute the casting news was released about Affleck playing Batman, the first words out of just about everybody’s mouths was DAREDEVIL.
It’s true, Affleck played blind Hell’s Kitchen lawyer Matt Murdock, and his night time vigilante hero Daredevil in the awful film version of the character in the 2003 release by director and writer Mark Steven Johnson. But let’s not pretend like there weren’t a thousand other things wrong with that movie beyond Affleck, and when the walls are crumbling down around you, it’s hard not to get caught in the wreckage.

The script was terribly written—it tried to pack 30 years of Daredevil history into one movie. Imagine if Daredevil had been made only focusing on Matt’s battle against Bullseye, while possibly introducing the character of Elektra but going no further. Imagine if the filmmakers had just adapted one famous Daredevil story from Frank Miller or even the great series written by Affleck’s friend Kevin Smith as a template for how the story should unfold. Instead, Johnson tried to fold every villain, and every story for Daredevil into one, trash compacted version of the film. Also lest we forget, Johnson is the same guy who wrote and directed Daredevil, knew it was bad, read all the reviews, and still managed to turn around and write Elektra, which was possibly even worse.

Affleck grew up a fan of Daredevil and even wrote the intro to Smith’s trade paperback story about the character for a Marvel book released in 1999. Maybe he got too attached to a character he loved, or maybe he took the role not realizing just how bad the script and story were being portrayed, and by the time he put on the leather suit, it was already too late.

Looking back at the film years after its release, Affleck is honest enough to know the movie was just doomed to fail (via MTV).

“I think we missed a lot in that movie. I think yeah before they really figured out how to do them right, yeah. Now, they’ve become eight movies, and they’ve been embraced in a way that they do, although they made some good ones, now they dedicate these resources and focus towards them. Audiences have come and demand a level of quality from them, that is no less than the very best. It was a drag because I did love Daredevil as a kid.”

As a character, Daredevil might be Marvel’s answer to Batman in terms of being a hero that’s damaged, dark and gritty, and left in the right hands it could have been The Dark Knight. Instead it was more Batman & Robin.

2. AFFLECK HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO DO A SUPERHERO FILM…IF IT WAS DONE RIGHT
If you ever listen to Kevin Smith, who was around Affleck in his early days, he tells many stories about how his old friend was a big comic book fan, and grew up loving the superhero genre. Unlike many actors currently pulling big gigs in Hollywood, not even close to being tall enough to dunk a basketball, Affleck stands an imposing 6’4″, which will bode well for him stacking up against Henry Cavill, who plays Superman, and stands 6’1″ tall.

Following the debacle that was Daredevil, Affleck vowed to never do another superhero flick again, but as the years passed and his affection for the genre returned, he changed his mind—only if the right people were involved to make the movie happen.

“I would love to do one, if it was the right one and if I thought I could do it well,” Affleck said about doing a superhero movie during promotion for his Oscar winning film Argo.

The good part about Affleck stepping in this time is director Zach Snyder not only has Christopher Nolan watching over him like a big brother should, but he also has experience dealing with untouchable material and doing it justice on the big screen. Snyder’s adaptation of The Watchmen remains one of the best superhero films of all time, and he stayed very true to the source material outside of one big leap that he took with the ending, that arguably was as good as the original one written by Alan Moore.

While Snyder and script writer David S. Goyer made some fans (like Ralph Garman) lose their minds with the ending of Man of Steel, overall the film worked in a way that the last few Superman adaptations did not, and casting a relative unknown like Cavill in the lead role while risky early, paid of big time late. Trust in the fact that Snyder knows how big this movie will be, and he should treat it as such. In turn, Affleck will get the most out of his performance, and redeem himself for whatever part he had in Daredevil.

3. AFFLECK HAS JOSS WHEDON ON HIS SIDE
Listen say what you will about celebrity endorsements, but when it comes to the geek genre of film and TV, there’s probably no one more respected that writer/director Joss Whedon. He’s written countless masterpieces including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, not to mention his run on quite a few comic book series like Astonishing X-Men. Whedon is also the man responsible for pulling off the impossible and making a team movie like The Avengers not only rake in money like a broken ATM just spitting out cash, but the film was hailed as a critical success as well (which rarely happens in the superhero genre).

On Friday, Whedon gave Affleck a rousing approval for taking the part of Batman, and he believes the California native has the chops to bring gravitas to the role and make it great.

@josswhedon

Affleck'll crush it. He's got the chops, he's got the chin -- just needs the material. Affleck & Cavill toe to toe -- I'm in.

4. AFFLECK IS ALMOST ALWAYS GREAT WHEN HE DOESN’T HAVE TO CARRY THE FILM
People seem to be forgetting that while Affleck will be playing Batman, he’s still taking part in a Superman sequel. To date, we have no idea how big or small the role of Batman will be in Man of Steel 2, we just know he’s going to be there. It’s doubtful, however, that Snyder and the producers behind the movie are going to somehow eliminate Superman from being the central character. Part of the issue of this entire scenario does fall on Snyder’s shoulders because at Comic Con when he made the announcement about the film, he quoted a line from the classic Frank Miller epic The Dark Knight Returns, which was a Batman book that also featured Superman and not the other way around.

I want you to remember, Clark. In all the years to come. In all your most private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you.

Snyder quickly killed rumors that he would be turning The Dark Knight Returns into Man of Steel 2, but the line was a perfect segue into announcing that Batman would appear in the next Superman movie. The big picture being overlooked currently with the Affleck announcement is the fact that he’s not the lead in the upcoming movie. If anything he’s sharing the space with Cavill, or potentially playing the second lead in the movie behind Cavill.

Now this is where the Affleck playing Batman story takes a huge turn towards the positive.

For every Paycheck and Reindeer Games that Affleck has played in and been the lead role, he really shines when the spotlight is not solely on him. Take a look for instance at the 2010 film The Town, which Affleck was the star and also directed, but did not overshadow the entire cast of the movie. Jeremy Renner, who played his best friend, shouldered a big brunt of the acting chops necessary to pull off The Town, along with a nice save from Jon Hamm as well.



The same can be said for Affleck’s role in Argo. Now again, he was the lead, and he did have the biggest role in the film, but the movie was an ensemble cast with powerful performances by everyone involved including Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman. Affleck was the lead, but he was more like Paul McCartney in the Beatles—certainly he was the frontman, and ultra talented, but everyone had their eyes on John Lennon most of the time when it came to the real brass behind the band. It’s a repeat for Affleck’s part in Chasing Amy, where again he was the lead, his name was first on the marquee and he was definitely Batman in the movie, but he had a fantastic Robin played by Jason Lee

Going back further to the afore mentioned role Affleck took in the little talked about Wall Street swindle caper film Boiler Room, he stole the show with only two scenes where he shouted and screamed at a room full of stock brokers about what it meant to be filthy rich.



Affleck has the chops to pull off any role, and when the entire bottom line isn’t based on his success or failure, he comes out looking like gold. Add to that, as Affleck has gotten older and wiser, his choices in films have gotten much pickier. He’s turned into more of a director than an actor, and more of an activist than a money seeking Hollywood-ite just looking to cash in on a big role. In other words, Affleck took this role because he wanted it, the script was good, and he’s got plenty of support around to make sure this thing goes perfectly.

5. HAVEN’T WE HEARD THESE COMPLAINTS BEFORE?
Listen, I’m not an expert when it comes to Hollywood casting calls, but one thing I know very well is the audience reaction to any kind of movie announcement—and let’s just say it’s rarely positive.

Facts are facts—people love to complain and everybody has a better choice than the one actor or actress that gets chosen for a role, particularly superhero films where the legions of fans somehow always know better than those casting the movie.

There’s no bigger case to prove this than the announcement in 2006 that Christopher Noland cast Heath Ledger as The Joker in his upcoming sequel The Dark Knight. Fans around the world freaked when Ledger was announced, and sites from all over the internet couldn’t wait to tell Nolan how he made such a monumental mistake.

Mark this day, folks: August 3, 2006. That’s the day that Christopher Nolan made his first mistake as the current commander of the Batman franchise. For reasons that don’t quite make sense to me, Nolan — as has been rumored — has officially cast Heath Ledger as The Joker in his upcoming The Dark Knight. (via Pajiba.com)

The article from the above website goes on to quote a poll run by fans at the time of the announcement with 84-percent of them saying Ledger would be either so-so or horrible in his role as The Joker. The site then goes on to tell Nolan how he made a huge mistake casting Ledger over other more obvious choices.

Ledger beats out several other actors who were rumored to be up for the role, including Crispin Glover, Robin Williams, Guy Pearce, Adrien Brody, and the leading contender, Paul Bettany. He would’ve been phenomenal!

Now, I’m not trying to pick on this particular writer, but this is just one of literally dozens of stories from that time period where Ledger was cast as The Joker and nobody seemed happy about it. There’s even a famous photo compiled by GeekTyrant with fans losing their minds over the casting of Ledger, and the comments are down right hilarious when put into the context of how he ended up portraying the part to perfection.





Even I’m not above pointing my all powerful finger back at myself because I remember when the announcement was made about Ledger portraying the Joker, and I’m sure I uttered many of the same things as the fans in the photos above. I thought ‘how could the kid from 10 Things I Hate About You somehow play the Joker? Are you kidding?’ Thankfully, I was dead wrong.

Even Batman icon Christian Bale, who redefined the role with his portrayal of the caped crusader in three films directed by Christopher Nolan, wasn’t immune to fanboy hate when he was announced as the actor who would take over the role back in 2003. Bale was mostly known for his cult performance in American Psycho, and the science fiction dragon flick Reign of Fire.

Some of the comments back then when Bale was cast included—

“I’m surprised they couldn’t get a more known actor.”

“NOT AGAIN! Can’t we find someone better for this part?”

Facts are facts—no one can predict how Affleck will do as Batman anymore than they could have known just how brilliant Heath Ledger pulled off The Joker. If the trailers start being released and Affleck starts sounding like a cheap Christian Bale imitation, then maybe the revolt can begin again, but for now put down the pitchforks and torches and let Snyder and company try to put together a great Man of Steel sequel where we see Superman and Batman together on the big screen for the first time in history.

[AUChizad]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-rosen/ben-affleck-batman_b_3804940.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Ben Affleck as Batman: A Reversal of Fortune?

ANALYSIS: Recent industry goodwill toward Affleck has not induced a state of public amnesia about his acting career.

Justin Chang
Senior Film Critic
@JustinCChang
RELATED STORIES

One prevailing theory of the past awards season is that, having been overlooked for a directing Oscar nomination, Ben Affleck enjoyed a surge of industry goodwill and public indignation on his behalf that ultimately pushed “Argo” into the winner’s circle. General opinion of Affleck has, of course, been steadily on the upswing since 2007, when he helmed a flinty, tough-minded Boston crime drama called “Gone Baby Gone” — his first and still finest achievement as a director — and proved that, however little respect he may have engendered as an actor, he had found his true calling as a filmmaker to be reckoned with.

His next two efforts, “The Town” and “Argo,” fulfilled that promise handsomely, cementing his reputation as a maker of crackerjack suspense thrillers grounded in a strong sense of place. They also revealed him to be, like Clint Eastwood and other thesps-turned-helmers before him, a skillful director of actors (Amy Ryan, Jeremy Renner and Alan Arkin drew Academy Award nominations for their work in “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Town” and “Argo,” respectively). It has been, for Affleck, an altogether astonishing reversal of fortune, the sort of grand comeback story that Hollywood loves but rarely scripts for itself: An industry golden boy, having reached the limits of where his talents could take him via the accepted channels, had dared to reinvent himself, pulling off an improbable career move with a startling degree of success.

At this point, if it had been revealed that Affleck were in talks to direct “Batman vs. Superman,” the news might well have been greeted with a certain measure of optimism, perhaps even modest praise. But yesterday’s revelation that he had been cast as Batman instead is, to put it mildly, another story entirely, one that has elicited little short of blind outrage and perhaps threatened to undo his public favor; there are precious few casting announcements that could inspire thousands of moviegoers to sign Change.org petitions urging a studio to reconsider. (You’d think Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor or Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs might have pushed our concerned young consumer-activists to launch a protest movement or two, but real-life personalities don’t engender the sort of obsessive protectiveness reserved for comicbook superheroes.)

Industry goodwill does not, it seems, have any bearing on fanboy approval, and the generally high regard for Affleck up until yesterday’s announcement seems predicated on an enthusiastic appreciation for his directing abilities and a mild tolerance at best for his acting work. That he has become a more persuasive presence behind the camera than in front of it seems hard to argue against — we like his daredevil streak, but not his Daredevil — and if his newfound cachet as a filmmaker has led many to forgive the likes of “Gigli” and “Jersey Girl,” it has not exactly obliterated their memory.

Affleck, of course, never stopped acting even as his directing career soared. He gave himself key roles in both “Argo” and “The Town,” and executed them solidly if unmemorably. His recent acting choices have shown a smart, adventurous sense of range, from 2009’s “Extract” and “State of Play” to the recent “To the Wonder.” And he’s clearly ramping up again: The Batman news is only his second major casting of the year, following his attachment to David Fincher’s hotly anticipated “Gone Girl.”

It’s also worth noting that Affleck has done marvelously subtle work as an actor in recent years, something easy to overlook if your moviegoing diet consists exclusively of cape-and-cowl fare. In 2010 he gave a finely shaded dramatic turn as a high-powered corporate executive brought low by the economic crisis in John Wells’ “The Company Men.” And in Allen-Coulter’s 2006 true-crime story “Hollywoodland,” Affleck delivered perhaps his finest performance to date, as the ill-fated 1950s actor George Reeves — a revelatory change-of-pace role in which he captured the bitter trajectory of a wannabe star gone to seed.

There is a measure of irony in the fact that Affleck did his best acting in the part of a none-too-respected actor, and it’s amusing to consider that the man who showed us the tragic face of TV’s Superman will now star on the bigscreen opposite Superman himself. To speculate prematurely on the outcome at this point, as so many doomsayers have done already, would exceed the limits of professional discretion. But in a spirit of unpopular optimism, I will offer that Ben Affleck has impressed us most as an actor by projecting not gravity but vulnerability, and vulnerability is an essential, often-overlooked quality in any bigscreen superhero. And if the enormity of the public outcry against him is any indication, he may well have succeeded in slipping back into a role he has played better than just about anyone else in recent memory: the underdog.

[Townhallsavoy]

1. YES, AFFLECK HAS DONE A SUPERHERO FILM BEFORE. YES, IT WAS BAD. EVEN HE KNOWS THAT

This is not a good argument for why he should be Batman in any medium.  It's like saying "Jake Holland has been the worst starting linebacker in Auburn's history.  Yes, he is that bad.  Even he knows that.  Which is why you should have confidence in him to figure out after three years of bad experience."

2. AFFLECK HAS ALWAYS WANTED TO DO A SUPERHERO FILM…IF IT WAS DONE RIGHT

He did one.  And it sucked.  So then after it sucked he makes a statement saying, "If the next superhero movie I'm offered doesn't suck, I'd love to be a superhero again."  Again, besides claiming this supports him as Batman, how does this exactly help the argument? 

Also the rest of this section only solidifies that the author doesn't truly believe in what he is writing.  He knows Affleck sucks.  He knows he will most likely suck as Batman.  Which is why he brings up SNyder and Nolan playing daddy roles for him to make sure he doesn't fuck the movie up. 

3. AFFLECK HAS JOSS WHEDON ON HIS SIDE

So again a point that doesn't support Affleck but hopes and prays that the talent around him can save him from fucking this up. 

Also a chin argument.  Does it really irk that many people if Batman doesn't have a ginormous chin?  With CGI effects nowadays, I'm sure they superimpose a chin on a better actor. 

4. AFFLECK IS ALMOST ALWAYS GREAT WHEN HE DOESN’T HAVE TO CARRY THE FILM

Ok, so when Ben Affleck isn't the lead, he almost always sometimes sort of kinda is great. 

So luckily he won't be the lead role in the Batman vs. Superman film.  That way his shitty presence doesn't ruin it.

5. HAVEN’T WE HEARD THESE COMPLAINTS BEFORE?

Yes.  Heath Ledger was an anomaly.  Christian Bale was revered as an actor prior to Batman whereas Affleck is questionable as evidenced by this article you linked. 

[Kaos]

Chiz -
The first article was from somebody (chick or homo probably) who thinks Ben is great.

He cites The Town and freaking Jersey Girl as validation.

Boring Ben was the worst part of The Town.  He dragged the movie down every time he was on screen. And jersey girl?  Seriously?

And just for the record, that entire piece was predicated on the position that Affleck does well in supporting roles.  Batman is NOT a freaking supporting role. 

He's not a good actor.  His best role was shamelessly ripping off Dietrich Bader's role in office space in some lame movie I can't even remember.  (It was Extract).

He was the worst part of Argo.  Don't make me start listing all the other wooden Indian performances he's given over the years. 

I didn't bother to read the second thing you posted.  Because it doesn't matter. This is a screwup of EPIC proportions. 

I'm a batman fan.  And I don't need some affleck fan telling me how great he's going to be.  He won't be.  He sucks.

Yeah, Heath Ledger turned out okay.  One exception doesn't create a rule. 

When you know something is no good you don't have to wait to see if it works. 

I've never seen Will Ferrell play Perry Mason, but I know what it would be. 
I've never seen Larry the Cable Guy play Hamlet, but I don't have to.  I know what it would be.

I know what this is going to be, too. 

As a fan of the character I do NOT want to see this cardboard cutout masquerading as an actor inhabit the suit.  I didn't want to see Val Kilmer despoil it either. 

[The Prowler]

I vote for Ben Affleck, just as long as they don't make him have a dumbass gravel voice.

[The Prowler]

#Boom

[CCTAU]

Redbox might get my $1.29!

[AUJarhead]

Even the fake trailers look like shit.

[Saniflush]

Even the fake trailers look like shit.

Well that may in fact make them real.