Can Ben Affleck Conquer the Knight?

As I type this, one of the top trending topics on Twitter is #Batfleck, so there’s no need to repeat what you already know.

But I am going to anyway: BEN AFFLECK IS BATMAN.

Yep, it’s true. After Christian Bale turned down a truckload of cash to return to the role in the Man of Steel sequel (tentatively titled Batman vs. Superman), the folks over at Warner Bros. turned to Oscar-winning writer and producer Affleck to step into the Dark Knight’s tights, officially making him the only actor in history to play both Superman AND Batman on screen.

Oh surely you remember Affleck’s role in 2006’s Hollywoodland, where he donned the Man of Steel’s red-yellow-and-blue for the role of actor George Reeves, who portrayed Supes in the television series “Adventures of Superman” from 1951 to 1958?

So, you know, there’s that. And of course everyone is at least partly familiar, if only for its notoriety, with the film Daredevil, where Affleck portrayed the blind comic book superhero. That was 10 years ago, and aside from his stint in Hollywoodland, Affleck has avoided superhero movies at all costs, and we encouraged that. But now, upon the news that he is taking over a role that Christian Bale has pretty much OWNED for the past 8 years, he is setting himself up for all kinds of issues.

Very few people would argue with the fact that, as a filmmaker, Ben Affleck is supremely talented. But as an actor? They jury is still hung on that one. For every The Town, there's a Gigli or Jersey Girl. It's hit-or-miss, basically.

Fan reaction has certainly been mixed, but it seems as though a majority of folks (from my observances) are pretty okay with the idea. For me, I was never a huge fan of Bale as Batman anyway, plus I have been strangely attracted to Affleck ever since he won the Oscar for Agro (Academy Awards are a major aphrodesiac, you know), so I’m kinda looking forward to it myself. Zack Snyder & co are obviously going in a whole new direction with the character, and I am intrigued to see how it pans out. Mostly I just wanna see Affleck and Henry Cavill wrassle in tights.

Let’s just hope his pal George Clooney doesn’t give him any tips (ahem)…

(Image via HBE/HSS/WENN)

- Katie Marzullo, YH Staff Editor

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