When I first read this news, I experienced complete shock/disbelief....and not in a good way. Ben ****ing Affeck as Batman? This was not what I was expected at all. But the more I think about it, the more I'm getting behind it and excited about it.
1. Affleck's come a long way since his Daredevil days when he was working off of ****** scripts. He's learned a lot about filmmaking and has made some great films. However, he's stayed away from these type of big budget blockbusters in recent years. So think about it -- For him to even come close to this project, it means that Snyder and his team really sold Affleck on this concept. They must have pitched this new film to him in a way that made it so he couldn't pass it up.
2. To build on my first point, Affleck doesn't seem like the type of guy to sign up for something like this just to cash a paycheck. He doesn't need the money. He's not only an established (and extremely wealthy) actor, but he is now a Hollywood director with some serious clout. The dude just won a Best Picture Oscar for Argo...and now he's signed on to play Batman. That alone has me seriously intrigued as to what attracted him to the role.
3. I can see Affleck portraying an older, more seasoned Batman compared to Cavill's newbie. I really liked what Snyder said about that in the press release. Definitely helped me come around to this casting.
4. Affleck's always had a decent physique, so it'll be interesting to see how he bulks up for this. This isn't 2003 and he's not playing someone unknown superhero in a crappy cash-grab movie. The superhero subgenre of film has been elevated in recent years, thanks in part to Nolan's Batman films. Affleck knows that this isn't going to just be a silly romp that he can take lightly. Not only will he have to take the role seriously to deliver a meaty performance, but I'm sure he knows he's going to have to transform his body for this part.
It's too early to really pass total judgment on this, to dismiss it or embrace it. But I'm open to it and I cannot wait to see how this turns out!