My Thoughts on Ben Affleck as Batman

Though I am late to this party, id like to give a brief opinion on the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman. I want to start by saying that Ben is a fantastic director and can be a very good actor at times. I am not by any means against this casting but I felt it could be a missed opportunity for Warner Brothers with this choice.

Pros

The biggest pro in this situation is that you keep an incredible director with a company that will allow him to make his own films. I would be shocked to hear that Affleck accepted this role without any agreement between him and WB allowing him to direct some "pet projects" that he has in his mind. He also would be given the opportunity to direct his own Batman solo outings, and he is a much better actor in films he is directing. Also Zack Snyder the director of Superman vs. Batman is known for being a fantastic collaborator and Ben Affleck may be one of the best options to collaborate with. He could help refine the story and the script which could result in a better film. If anyone is a better to collaborate with than Ben it would be Chris Nolan, who could also have a hand in Superman vs. Batman. Snyder's visual style should work well with the fundamental skills that Affleck can bring to the table. I am also very confident he can pull off the role of Bruce Wayne, since a billionaire playboy fits within the realm of Ben's acting. Also the picture above while photo shopped makes me believe he could be solid. However...

Cons

Though I have confidence with him as Bruce, I lack confidence in him as Batman. Nothing about Affleck has ever struck me with fear, and that includes his impressive and somewhat tough performance in The Town. He is recognizable and his presence at times lacks, which could take me out of his performance. Unlike Cavill as Superman who was relatively unknown and benefited from that. Affleck is a well known face and even with a cowl I will always know its him. He very well could pull it off, and I will be the first to admit that if he does. However, right now I don't see him as Batman because he lacks the edge that Bale had. I have noticed that often in big budget productions that Ben doesn't direct, he just phones it in and fails to strive above an average performance. Its very possible that if his head is elsewhere, he won't bring his A game. The argument that I commonly see is, "we all hated the Heath Ledger casting as the Joker and look how that turned out". That is completely irrelevant, because there are as many bad castings as good castings.

The best things we can all do is wait and see. Nobody knows how things will turn out, everyone should try and stay neutral until the first footage is released.