Ben Affleck as Batman: fans launch online petition to drop him

Los Angeles: Warner Bros` announcement to cast Ben Affleck as the new Bruce Wayne/Batman in the `Man of Steel` sequel has not gone down well with the caped crusader`s die-hard fans, who have launched an online petition demanding Affleck`s replacement. Shortly after it was announced that Affleck would replace Christian Bale as the legendary superhero in Zack Snyder`s `Man of Steel` follow-up, "Better Batman Than Ben Affleck" began trending on Twitter. A petition on Change.Org was launched demanding that studio should "Remove Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Superman/Batman movie" and 20,000 supporters have already signed since it was started. "It would offend me to have Ben Affleck as Batman after what Christian Bale did," a fan reasoned. "His acting skill is not even close to being believable as Bruce Wayne and he won`t do the role justice. He`s not built, nor is he intimidating enough for the role of Batman. His portrayal of Daredevil was atrocious and he`s not remotely close to an action star. Please find someone else," another said. According to social media analytics firm Fizziology, 71 per cent of the talk has been negative. Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production Warner Bros, had said that Affleck was perfect for the role in Snyder`s sequel while making the announcement yesterday. "We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics` most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character," he said. PTI