Ben Affleck will star as Batman in “multiple movies” over the next few years according to the contract that he signed with Warner Bros.
The film company announced Affleck’s hiring on Friday, and it was immediately met with controversy by fans of the films, comic books, and the character. Affleck will come up against Henry Cavill’s Superman in the upcoming sequel to Man Of Steel that will see the duo’s characters do battle with one another.
Affleck is believed to have beaten Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, and Wes Bentley to the part. Despite the harsh words being directed towards the actor, Affleck is set to star in numerous Batman movies as Bruce Wayne and it’s believed that if his first performance as the character is a success then he will be asked to direct the Justice League movie.
Meanwhile, Ben Affleck’s appointment has seen an online petition emerge asking for him to be removed from the role. The petition was started by Jon Roden of Ludlow, Kentucky, who entitled his effort, “Warner Brothers: Remove Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Superman/Batman movie.”
It has already gained over 50,000 signatures. Ludlow wrote, “His acting skill is not even close to being believable as Bruce Wayne and he won’t do the role justice. He’s not built, nor is he intimidating enough for the role of Batman. His portrayal of Daredevil was atrocious and he’s not remotely close to an action star. Please find someone else.”
Ludlow has since added “this petition was not meant in any way to harm Ben Affleck or his career. I respect Affleck’s work, I just feel he is inappropriate for the role.”
Earlier this week, comedian, Patton Oswalt , defended Affleck’s casting, remarking, “A Batman portrayed by someone who’s tasted humiliation and a reversal of all personal valences — kind of like Grant Morrison’s ‘Zen warrior’ version of Batman, post-ARKHAM ASYLUM, who was, in the words of Superman, ‘…the most dangerous man on the planet,’ Think for a second and admit that Ben Affleck is closer to THAT top-shelf iteration of The Dark Knight than pretty much anyone in Hollywood right now.”