Ben-
You’ve done it again. You’ve created waves of hatred and distrust in the social media sphere all by accepting a job. Within moments of your news, anti-Affleck Facebook pages cropped up, Twitter exploded with hashtags and cruel words; memes were immediately created depicting you and Damon as the dynamic duo (the internet can be so cruel). Likely you’ve seen none of these, or if you have you just said, “Fuck you, I’m Batman” (I’m genuinely hoping for the latter).
While I can only speak for myself, the rage you’ve read was something that I felt. Now was it really “rage?” No. Nothing close. Why? Cause I have a fucking life. I’m not gonna shit a brick just because a new actor is playing one of my favorite heroes. Am I surprised that Holden fucking McNeil is going to be the new caped crusader?
Yes. But honestly it was a knee jerk reaction. I was suddenly hit by the old Affleck. The Gigli, Daredevil Affleck. The Affleck that became an adjective to describe when something and someone was just plain terrible. Don’t get me wrong, I loved you in Chasing Amy but everything else, in my opinion, couldn’t live up to Holden. I was frightened to my very core. Imagine the Christian Bale throat cancer voice explaining why “Gigli” rhymes with “really.” It’s horrible Ben. It’s horrible.
Then I realized you aren’t the same man any more. You showed those fucking nay-sayers that you aren’t just the boy from Boston who happened to strike gold with his first screenplay. With Argo, The Town, and Gone, Baby, Gone, you’ve shown that you are able to craft a story at the perfect pace and deliver wonderful cinema. You’re on fire, Ben!
So I bet you’re thinking to yourself, “If I’ve been able to overcome all the odds, and bring home another oscar, then why am I getting so much flak?” I think I have answer for you Ben. It’s not you. It’s the project.
People are afraid that DC is jumping the gun and just trying to catch up to Marvel. That’s what we, the fans, are afraid of. That’s what I was afraid of. We all remember what happens when you try to cram too much into a film (Spiderman 3, I’m looking at you). We’re just afraid that two of the best icons in comic history are just being pushed together without any real concrete story and just for gimmick alone. Yet the one things that we are forgetting is that you, Ben, can act.
You can give us the depth that is required for the tortured Bruce Wayne; the wisdom that is instilled in the Dark Knight. You’re an onion Ben. Peel away and show the internet what you can do with your performance.
I look forward to seeing you in this project and can’t wait to see what you bring to the part. Just don’t bring nips to the suit.
Sincerely,
David McGuire
