Yes, Ben Affleck is Batman [insert Phantoms joke here]. After the roar of Internet rage washes over you like a warm, wet, impotent blanket, stop for a moment and let that sink in. Ben Affleck IS Batman and the world did not end last night, despite what some of the more creative and enterprising snarkers have tweeted. The sun is shining, the birds chirping and as resignation slowly drifts through the fan community, the thought that maybe, just maybe, Ben Affleck can pull off Batman spreads….
It’s possible. While Affleck is not my first (or tenth) choice for the role, I have seen him give good supporting performances before and in Batman vs. Superman, he will certainly be sharing half the burden of the film with the already perfectly cast Henry Cavill. Stranger things have happened. Don’t believe me? Well consider this list of seven actors who once upon a time fans were ABSOLUTELY positive would fail. Seven actors whose casting spelled doom in the trades and constituted an assortment of varying handwringing.
Here Are Seven Actors Fans Thought Would Suck:
7. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
Before Jennifer Lawrence went on to win fans’ hearts at the U.S. box office with $408 million (a feat Iron Man 3 only just NOW barely matched) and everyone else’ with her Oscar Winning turn in last fall’s Silver Linings Playbook, she was The Girl Who Couldn’t Catch Fire. At least that is what a very vocal backlash in the fan community, as well as some decidedly harsh critics, had to say.
When she was cast over a slew of other fan favorites, including actual teenagers like Hailee Steinfeld, the then-21-year-old Lawrence was ridiculed for being too old, too tall and, most egregiously stupid, too “fat.” The actress who at 19 earned an Oscar nomination for playing a dirt-poor orphan of the Ozarks in Winter’s Bone was considered too well fed to star in a film called The Hunger Games(which was also shot in another humble mountain range setting: Appalachia). Even after the film was released, critics for The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter suggested that she was too womanly and suffered from “lingering baby fat.” Funny how less than a month later, after The Hunger Games became one of the biggest films of 2012, some of the same critics were running glowing pieces about why Lawrence’s Katniss is a “new type of woman warrior” for young girls to admire. Riiiight.
6. Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 (Casino Royale)
Remember that one bloke called “James Blond?” He was that one who was cast as Bond back in 2005 when everyone wanted Pierce Brosnan to return. There was absolutely NO WAY he could play Her Majesty’s Loyal Terrier. Whatever happened to that guy?
As hard as it is to recollect now, Daniel Craig, arguably the most popular 007 since Sean Connery, was once repelled by a belligerent fan community. It got so bad that in 2006, before Casino Royale was even released, Craig had to speak of how stunning and viscous the calls were for him to be dropped from the role. He was accused of being too ugly, too mean and of course too blond. At least The Daily Mirror was slightly wittier when, after only a day had past since the casting announcement, they pronounced the actor, as if they were writing an obituary, to be James Bland.
5. Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Before the Internet Age, fan skepticism and outrage was kept to the quiet dignity of their own homes or ignored Letters to the Editor. However, sometimes these fans could find a famous champion to carry on their disdain at Hollywood developments. For example, it doesn’t hurt when the author who created a character leads the charge. Look no further than when Truman Capote reacted in disbelief to the casting of Audrey Hepburn in her now most iconic role.
When Capote sold the rights to his short novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Paramount Pictures, he did so with the express wish that Marilyn Monroe play the part of Holly Golightly, New York’s ultimate Goodtime Girl. After all, Holly is supposed to be seductive, charismatic and able to ensnare any man on her hook, if only ever fleetingly. But when Monroe passed on the part because Lee Strasberg advised Norma Jeane that playing a prostitute would be bad for her image, the part went to the decidedly less bombshell Hepburn. When Capote saw that this thin, gamine waif was going to be his ultimate creation of superficial and jaded femininity, he remarked, “Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey.” Thank. God.
4. Anne Hathaway as Catwoman (The Dark Knight Rises)
Everyone should recall this: Anne Hathaway cast as Selina Kyle aka Catwoman? What? How? A DISNEY PRINCESS?!
Mind you many of those loudest critics likely never saw her riveting work in Brokeback Mountain or Rachel Getting Married (the latter of which got her a well-earned Oscar nomination). And if they wanted seductive, they had to look no further than Havoc. Yet for many, Hathaway was little more than the chick from The Princess Diaries with a very, very bubbly public persona. Hardly the stuff of femme fatale. That’s why all the way up until the film’s release, there were still blogs like this filled with unflattering photoshopped pictures and snap judgments based on movies she did 10 years prior. But lo and behold when the movie came out in July 2012, she was the single best-reviewed facet of the movie. Whether you were Michael Caine or a message board poster, the only thing you could talk about was how good she was in the skintight leather and a mean pout. Even President Obama gave Ms. Hathaway a shout out when he said, “I got a chance to see Batman, and she was the best thing in it.”
3. Heath Ledger as The Joker (The Dark Knight)
And before there was Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, there was Heath Ledger as The Joker. Look at the above pic. Let that one roll around for a minute. Still not satisfied? Here is a page of fans whining about why it should have been Christopher Walken, Crispin Glover or anybody else. In 2006, nobody thought anyone save for Jack Nicholson could be The Joker. Then this trailer hit, followed shortly by similar images:
Even after Ledger’s tragic passing, the role continues to be recognized as a benchmark of villainy not only in comic book films, but in ALL OF CINEMA, thus earning Ledger a posthumous Oscar, which was the first time the Academy had handed one out in the 32 years following Network. ‘Nuff said.
2. Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind)
Casting a Brit in an iconic American role always earns a whisper of chagrin from U.S. audiences and press prior to release. However, none was more thunderous than when Vivien Leigh, an obscure English actress born in British India, was cast as Southern belle and revisionist history heroine Scarlett O’Hara in David O. Selznick’s adaptation of Gone with the Wind. Often cited as one of the most beloved novels of the Depression, particularly in states south of Missouri and east of Oklahoma, Gone with the Wind was practically American heritage in its few short years of existence. As the ultimate soap opera epic, it captured idyllic daydreams with a mythic, fairy tale quality. And at the center of all that passion was Scarlett O’Hara, everyone’s favorite wicked creature.
The casting process, lovingly followed in the press as The Search for Scarlett, lasted two full years. Unsurprisingly, when Selznick finally settled on his admittedly dark horse candidate, Vivien Leigh, there took a lot of coaxing. Angry letters poured in, Gossip columnists were pressured to boost Leigh’s heritage, and a tightrope was long walked all the way until the movie’s Atlanta premiere. Today, whatever inclinations people may have towards its politics 70 years on, there is no denying that Leigh is magnificent. She not only won an Oscar for the picture, she won a place in permanent cinematic immortality as one of the most fiercely realized leading female performances ever committed to celluloid. Fiddle-dee-dee.
1. Michael Keaton as Batman (Batman)
Yes the most obvious comparison is still the most fitting. Michael Keaton, America’s official Mr. Mom, was cast by Tim Burton to play the Dark Knight.
Keaton is not an assuming man. As a comedian with thin, receding hair and a height of five-feet and nine-inches, a muscular uberman he is not. Also, when he was cast in 1988, many could not get past that this was the guy from Nightshift and Beetlejuice. Were they remaking the campy Adam West TV show? The Wall Street Journalreported on the hundreds (some say tens of thousands) of protest letters they received over the casting. There was literally protesting in the streets. And then this image appeared:
The whining stopped. To this day there is still a school of thought that prefers Keaton to all actors who have donned the cowl, even Christian Bale. Not bad for an actor who The Times once described as a prankster.
There you have seven actors who fans were once oh-so-sure would suck. But the list is actually much longer. I can recall the skepticism that surrounded Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander. One can also note a slew of others in history from Hepburn again as Eliza Dolittle to Ian Fleming’s own misgivings toward Sean Connery. Ultimately, gut-reactions tend to be filled with hyperbole and slight embarrassment from hindsight. Hence, it may be best to take a step back before pulling out the message boards. Then again, I still want to leave you with this one more time:
So there is our list. Agree? Disagree? Still worried about Affleck? Leave us a message below!
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One can not forget about all the fans whining over Mark Ruffalo's casting as the Hulk or Chris Evans as Captain America. I'm really looking forward to this, it can be truly awesome!
I was one of those anti-ruffalo's. I was proven wrong.
TEN MISCAST ACTORS FANS THOUGHT WOULD SUCK...AND THEY DID!
Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four)
Julian McMahon (Fantastic Four)
Halle Berry (Catwoman)
Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns)
Kirtsen Dunst (Spiderman)
Topher Grace (Spiderman 3)
Jean Claude van Damme (Street Fighter)
Tom Cruise (Jack Reacher)
Keanu Reeves (Constantine)
Vince Vaughn (Pshycho)
how dare you say jean claude van damme wasn't the best guile you've ever seen! I think he played the role perfectly for what the movie was (it poked fun at itself)
With the exception of Dunst in Spiderman, the thing that all of those movies have in common which the ones in the article don't have, poor writing.
Also, it's spelled Psycho. No hate there, I'm hoping it was just a typo.
I always knew Ruffalo would be good, but I didn't like the politics of how it happened and what they did to Norton.
I guess I am the only one who didn't think Ledger was all that as the Joker. He was good, really good. But when I saw the movie -- it had been so overhyped, ya know, so it just didn't hit me like it should. I do not think he should have gotten the Oscar. It was just guilt for not wanting him to do the role. I think.
Keanu Reeves was awesome in Constantine.
Gotta say I'm not a big Daniel Craig fan. His version of James Bond is basically the antithesis of what James Bond has been. Bond was a suave,debonair proper gentleman who can occasionally do some super spy stuff, Craig is a rough and tumble action person who's trying to do the suave bit while being 007. Casino Royale hardly held my interest, Quantum of Solace I never wanted to see again, the last movie... hell I don't even remember what it was called.
I'm glad this article came out...all of these naysayers need to just accept it and move on. I never get mad about casting even if it's someone I don't really care for. I don't like Jamie Foxx much at all but I'm cool with him being Electro...I mean I'm sure he will do it well.
Also, that list the guy posted about ten miscast actors that sucked is using examples from movies that had many things wrong with them besides the casting. Most of those movies are poor in more ways than one:
Alba was fine, McMahon was fine, Berry was fine, Bosworth was fine, Dunst was fine at first but later became grating as the series went on, Grace was actually good but wasn't given much to do, Van Damme was great for what that movie was, didn't see Reacher or Constantine but I know those movies aren't universally praised...and the less said about Psycho remake the better...that whole movie was a giant finger to Hitchcock...not just Vaughn's take on Norman.
Michael Keaton and Daniel Craig are the only underdogs on that list that were great in their roles. The other ones were overrated as usual. Jack Nicholson is the best joker and people to this very day overrate Heath Ledger's joker because of it's darkness in the role and because he died. People tend to overrate someones legacy when they die young.
Hah, did Daniel Craig really receive "viscous" phone calls? Sure about that one, Crow?
Interesting article. Winter's Bone is set in the Ozarks, not Appalachia, though.
Well, they were dripping with vitriol...
Keep in mind that the Pajiba post with Heath pictured is from April Fool's Day, this year.
Um, that Pajiba article you screencapped? It's an April Fool's joke. Check the date. And pay closer attention, guys.
Appalachia is NOT the Ozarks.
Uhhh...But Anne Hathaway WAS a bad Catwoman...I like her, but she was still a bad Catwoman.
Add Ben Affleck in Daredevil.
The worst Batman ever was Michael Keaton, 2nd was Val Kilmer. As for Affleck as Batman, I don't think it will be so bad since his acting has greatly improved. As for the slamming of the Daredevil movie, I still enjoy it to this day. Mind you, I watch the extended director's cut which answered all my unanswered questions after watching it in the theater. I am more worried about the actor they have cast as Lex Luther, Michael Rosenbaum should have been picked. Matt Damon for Aquaman would be better than picking him for Martian Manhunter in the JLA.
You realize that picture in the article about Nolan's mistake of casting Heath Ledger is dated April 1st, 2013?
Um. that Ledger piece screenshot you posted was written this year.
Ben wasn't the only thing wrong about the movie. The problem was more that there was nothing right about any of it. Or the Elektra spin-off.
Schlockey-schlock-schlock let's make some more shitty hero movies, Hollywood. When's Ghost-rider 3 out?
I think you are mistaking bad acting with bad scripts.
Anne Hathaway did suck.
I thought Keanu was awesome in that movie. Then again, I never read the comic so what do I know.
Oh, shut up.
Mila Kunis (Oz)
Depends. Are you refering to how Bond has been portrayed in the previous movies, or how he was written in Flemming's books? The Craig Bond has been a good representation of the book Bond. Not so much bravery as recklessness that comes from an acute sense of his own mortality and a fair amount of self-loathing that stems from his work.
If you want sleek, sexy, self-assured, supremely confident Bond, you watch the Brosnan and earlier movies. If you want tortured, conflicted, reckless, self-loathing Bond, you watch the Craig movies or read the books.
Ledger was great. His facial expressions, body language, the voice he had going, every time he did that little licking his lips thing...he was perfect. He personified insanity. He actually acted crazy. If I hadn't already known it was him, I never would have guessed. He was the Joker, not an actor playing the Joker, if that makes sense. As for everyone else on this list, they may have been dealing a lot with bad writing and dialogue, but none of them were all that great.
Actually, I was disappointed myself and over-hyped may be the best way to describe it. But I haven't like most comic movies, a few were okay and only one (Captain America) was good. I have high hopes for Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Winter Soldier. We'll see.
I believe Norton made excessive salary demands, which is what caused the change.
Uhh... you know that you liked his performance. That should be enough for anyone. I can't stand when people are unable to separate the book from the movie. They are two different mediums, you can't compare them, and it is pointless to try. I thought he was pretty good that movie too.
In an interesting juxtaposition, the writer has featured a photograph of Affleck with George Clooney - arguably the worst batman ever.
Jean Claude van Damme was awsome as Guile so was Keanu Reeves in Constantine
what the hell you talking about nab?
go eat poo you fat idiot
Are you kidding?!? The worst Barman, hands down, was George Clooney. (which adds a special dose of irony to the photo above)
Damnit ... Batman, not barman. I'm sure Clooney could serve a mean cocktail.
FYI to the authors of this piece. Winter's Bone was not set in Appalachia. It was actually set in the Ozarks.
jack reacher was awesome lol
Keanu Reeves is awesome in everything. Sure he plays everything the same, but that is his style and he is the king of it.
The whole f'n point is don't judge until you see the end result.
You don't think he should have won? Who should have? He still has the most memorable performance out of anyone that was nominated for any Oscar that year....
He's the only person who's playd guile in the movies isn't he?
So yah.. of course he's the best.
This
agreed
I thought Elektra was dope. Daredevil was complete rubbish. Never dug Affleck until The Town, he was pretty badass in that. So fuck it, who knows? ....nah I'm just kidding, this is terrible. But at least I just saved 10 bucks on a ticket.
I disagree with some of this, but I maintain that the worst cast actor of recent history was Tobey Maguire in The Great Gatsby. What a trainwreck.
*inarguably
Like anoyone gives a flying f--k.
Still anti-Ruffalo. He wasn't terrible or anything, but he was no better than mediocre. Watch his work without any CGI Hulk action and it was a pretty boring, lackluster performance.
Is everyone forgetting Val Kilmer and George Clooney?
actually, I thought Clooney was the ONLY actor, thus far, that pulled off both Batman and Bruce Wayne well. He was just saddled with a horrible movie, in my opinion.
If you think the worst Batman was Michael Keaton and you liked and still enjoy the Daredevil movie to this day, then everything else you will ever say is invalid.
You lost all credibility within your first 3 sentences.
Theres NOTHING overrated about Ledgers performance. He brought the darkness to the Joker that Nicholson sorely lacked.
Ill never understand peoples love for that Tim Burton Batman Movie.
Personally I thought it sucked.
Youre not the only one. But those who agree with you are just as wrong as you are.
The Dark Knight is the ONLY Batman movie of the Nolan Trilogy thats worth watching and thats because of Ledgers performance.
Bale made a decent batman but saddle him with a horrible story and an even worse take on a villain ( Bane ) and you end up with three hours of meh ( The Dark Knight Rises )
I could just as easily name seven that DID suck. These are utterly pointless comparisons.
Thanks for the catch. It was corrected. :)
You're right about Ledger, wrong on Burton. You don't have to choose between the two, they were completely different takes and attempts at portraying the character of Batman.
Burton's first 2 bat flicks were dope for their time. Remember that this was before mainstream comic book movies really existed.
And while Soldier is right that people tend to overrate performances based on the behind-the-scenes type of stories, tragedies or info behind them, Ledger's Joker is NOT an accurate example of this.
It may have been over-HYPED - in fact it definitely was in a thousand different ways - but not at all overrated in any way.
Dude was COMPLETELY unrecognizable as himself in that role. He blew the roof off of what that character could have been or was up until that point.
That was an as iconic performance of any larger-than-life character than I've probably ever seen. I'm an incredibly huge fan of great villains, and if Ledger's Joker isn't in your top 3 or at least top 5 of all time then you should slap yourself as hard as you can and rewatch that movie. No joke.
I may sort of agree about the last Nolan bat flick, and I definitely agree that Bale was not great as Batman. He wasn't bad at all, he was okay, maybe even kind of good? But yeah, nothing about his performance in any of the 3 movies stood out to me as being impressive in any way. I believe he was mediocre in the roles of both Wayne and Batman, but I don't mean that to be as bad of a review as it probably sounds. I guess I mostly just mean that Nolan, the writers, the set designers and costume designers made those movies what they are in my mind, way more than anything about Bale's performance in any of them.
Anycrap, you (Diana P) really are wrong about Ledger's Joker (in my opinion, of course). I don't say that to be insulting, and I'm sorry if it comes off that way.
But all I really mean is that your experience should probably make you hate hype more than it should sour you on Ledger's performance.
Nobody can argue that both the film and Ledger's performance were ridiculously over-hyped after Ledger's death. In fact I even hesitated to see it because I started to believe it was all hype, no substance. I knew immediately that I was wrong, and several viewings later have confirmed my initial impression.
Just out of curiosity, have you checked out the movie again since whenever you first saw it under all of they hype?
I feel like if you just tried to watch again, and pretended there was no hype or back story, but that it was just some random movie you stumbled upon, and then evaluated his performance based on that you would probably be more impressed. Although I admit it can be hard to separate.
And more importantly, I'm not that smart, haha, so what do I know?
I really do like Lawrence as Katniss, she's brilliant, but I have to say she actually isn't an accurate physical representation of the character. The character is said to be very short--its hinted that its from malnutrition, as just about everyone is starving. The world, which wasn't portrayed to this severe extent in the movie, is definitely concentration camp-like. With that being said, the character is VERY skinny. Anyone who says Lawrence is fat is an idiot, but she is a healthy, average weight. The character is also described as possibly part Native American. So yes, to readers of the trilogy, Lawrence was an odd choice at first, but she nailed the character.
I love Jennifer Lawrence, but I do believe she is too fat... for that role. If you read the books Katniss and her district are all practically starving. Jennifer Lawrence herself is by no means "fat" but while reading the books I did imagine someone more gaunt. That's why there was fan backlash.
Haha, I like how someone else just thought the same thing I did. It really is nothing against her, but the characters physical description is a big deal because it is a reflection of the society she lives in.
Gone With the Wind was not a novel of the Depression. It was about the Civil War.
yeah that catwoman movie was awful and no amount of awesome acting could fix the terrible story
I think most of those on this list only justify the reasoning people are complaining. Seriously, you're using Anne Hathaway's Cat Woman to say people overreact? Daniel Craig sucks. Jennifer Lawrence was relatively unknown and I don't recall there being an uprising about her playing that role.... One which is no where near as iconic and legendary as Batman. Heath Ledger was ok, but if he didn't pass away near the release time I would doubt his performance could have been as blown up as it has been. Michael Keaton is the only one I would have been surprised by in the entire list.
"... a dirt-poor orphan of the Ozarks in Winter’s Bone was considered too well fed to star in a film called The Hunger Games (which was also shot in another humble mountain range setting: Appalachia)."
got it, aarticle was already fixed when I read it.
The reason for most of those was simply because of bad writing/directing.
VInce Vaughn is a terrible actor overall.
he slept walked that role. He even admitted to it.
Ruffalo was *okay*. He only got the role because of Robert Downey Jr since they had worked together before and he put in a good word for him. There's probably a better fit for the role somewhere out there in the world.
It took me a while to put my finger on why I don't like Affleck for this role...but it's his eyes. He's in a constant state of squint. "So? Vulture you're an idiot." but yea, think back to the 90's animated series with Batman in them. His facial expressions were lead by what his eyes did 99% of the time, and because of that we knew what batman was thinking/feeling based on what his eyes did. It's very subtle. Going into the movies with the same thought...every batman (minus Adam West) wears black around their eyes and rarely shows any facial expressions with their mouth (a smile once or twice, and rage a few times) while they have the mask on. It's all mostly stoic scenes, but there are plenty of times where the eyes are at the center of the frame...focusing on their despair, confusion, anger, etc. This actually explains why they picked Clooney for that particular movie: They wanted someone with eyes that could open up WIDE when he sniffed in that drug from Poison Ivy. And anyone that watches NCIS LA can tell you that Chris O'Donnell's eyes are always changing expressions.
Rooney Mara did suck as Lisbeth Salander. In the original film, Lisbeth is a dynamic badass and easily the main character. In the American version, she's there for Daniel Craig to play off of. Granted that's a decision made by writing team and the director, but she was cast because she wasn't going to steal the show from Daniel Craig. Now, I like Daniel Craig, but my point remains.
Not really digging the Hathaway deal. I hated the thought of her as Catwoman and after watching the movie, I hated her as Catwoman.
the problem with Affleck is the voice. Everyone is expecting him to come out with, "WOOK, IT'S DA JOKAH!" Bruce Wayne is not from Boston's mean streets. So, Ben, you'd better work on your Bruce Wayne voice or you'll get spanked.
While I agree we have no idea if Batfleck will be good or bad, this conveniently forgets that a lot of people said that Daredevil, Elektra, Catwoman and Green Lantern and Green Hornet would all suck and they all did. Hard.
To be fair, there wasn't much more you could do with the limited screen time. Hulk in Avengers wasn't supposed to be great, it just had to be good (Avengers being an ensemble piece after all).
I'm surprised Tom Cruise as Lestat didn't make the list. Everyone's problem with Jennifer Lawrence was physical, and I think it was mostly fangirls. Everyone's problem with Tom Cruise, however, was that he was too much of a pretty boy to be Lestat. Anne Rice was horrified and furious. I still can't believe he managed to pull it off.
there is no such thing as bad publicity, maybe, just maybe, that's what this is, make everyone want to see the movie to see how bad he does?
Out of the entire group listed, the only individual I didn't like in the role they played, was Cat-woman, and Michael Keaton was at best a mediocre batman from a mediocre movie.
My problem with Affleck is that like all of his films, his accent will be the same, his performance will be the same, his ability to adopt the role will be the same. Which to sum up, means Ben Affleck will be Ben Affleck as Batman, not an actor portraying Bruce Wayne, or portraying Batman.