Bat-Fleck Rises!

So, Ben Affleck is the new Batman.

I'm not upset about this, but as of right now, the internet is ablaze with nerd rage.


I think Ben Affleck is nerdy enough to do it right.  He played George Reeves!  That means he could play Superman as well, right?  He also was the dude who, according to Kevin Smith, said, "I just f**ked Elecktra in the mouth," in regards to hooking up with Jennifer Garner on the set of Daredevil.  So you know he's got some nerd dreams.  But he also says shit like this.....

"By playing a superhero in Daredevil, I have inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero. Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn't want to do again." -Ben Affleck

Still, I get it.  It's Batman!  He's had about 10 years to cool down, and what dude doesn't want to play Batman?  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I still don't get Christian Bale's decision to not come back. The rumor is that he said no to 50 million bucks to reprise the role.  That is crazy money, but those producers aren't stupid.  They'd rather take that $50 million hit on someone they know people love, than have to go through years of nerd backlash over their Batman pick.  Somebody mentioned Orlando Bloom as being a contender, and the internet went crazy.  Now that Bat-fleck has been announced, they have a 3 year battle with the public, and on top of that, have to produce a movie that will make Jesus weep.

The thing is, I'm more concerned about the director.  This is a movie that EVERYONE will be watching. Comic book movies are what draws crowds these days, and people around the world are ready to pick this one apart.  For me, Zack Snyder is not the guy for the job.  Nerds seem to love him, but I don't thinks he's so great (Being a huge nerd).  300 was awful, Watchmen was OK at best, and Man of Steel was pure explosion porn.  I think I liked his remake of Dawn of the Dead the best, which ironically is the movie that other nerds seem to hate.  His other credits include such hits as, Owls of Ga'hool and Sucker Punch.  So you know he's, "on the level."

David S Goyer is writing the script, and this is a good thing.  He's the guy who made Blade, one of the shittiest, groan inducing heroes ever, into the bad ass "Day Walker" we know and love.  He also did the story for those Batman movies that everyone loves, so I think he knows how to write that character.

I guess the question is, have nerd EVER been happy about the casting choices in these movies?  Other than Patrick Stewart?  Is Ben Affleck any worse a pick than Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Val Kilmer, or Christian Bale?  I don't think so.  People are bringing up Daredevil a lot, but Ben Affleck was the last thing that was wrong about that movie.  They cast Joey Pants (Joe Pantoliano) as Ben Urich, gave Bullseye (Colin Farrell) that stupid target forehead, and cut Turk (played by Coolio) out of the movie.  That shit had stink all over it.  Ben Affleck has spent a lot of time fixing up his persona, by doing some pretty great things.  I think that he made the decision to play Batman with that in mind.  So come on guys, let's give the guy a break. Can you imagine how excited he was when he found out he got to be Batman?  Now think of how 40 seconds in any corner of the internet will send him into a spiraling depression.  We can at least wait until a single frame of the movie is shot to start tearing it down.

What I'm saying is that this movie has a ton of potential, but all I've heard so far is that it will be a fight/team-up movie, which doesn't really interest me at all.  Especially knowing who will direct it.  Ben Affleck being announced is a plus for me.