First Impulse: Ben Affleck IS Batman

I avoided all the Affleck as Batman backlash so far because I really don't think I have much to gain from reading it. I mean, the outrage from the fanboys is predictable. Me, I'm surprised that Affleck would risk the credibility he has built up as a filmmaker in recent years and risk making a bigger punchline than "Gigli." I gue$$ it'$ all about the Ben(jamins) in this ca$e.

He had to know what the reaction was going to be. More importantly, Warner Brothers had to know what the reaction was going to be. This is why I say maybe this is a good thing. I wouldn't have cast Affleck if only for the fact that he had his shot with Daredevil and failed big-time. But this movie is probably going to be terrible, anyway--I didn't bother to see "Man of Steel" and have yet to see any evidence that indicates I'll like it--so I don't care who they cast as the Caped Crusader.

However, I realize to many people, this is a big deal. Those are the folks I demeaned with the dreaded "fanboys" level up there. Maybe the general public shouldn't be so upset. This move is a clear sign that Warner Brothers doesn't give a damn what serious comic book and/or Batman fans think. It's obvious that the studio is going to plow through and make a movie it thinks it can make "cool" to everyone else. Perhaps this is the right way to go. Instead of paying slavish attention to continuity and arcane comic book concepts, the filmmakers can go ahead and do whatever they want, ignoring the whims of the Comic Con crowd that's gonna crap on the result no matter what.

So to me, this is no big deal.

Now, those Justin Timberlake as The Riddler rumors? Yeah, THAT idea bugs the hell out of me.