When Fan Passion Goes Awry...

It's great to have passion. Intense feelings drive people to set out on missions. Sometimes, those missions are a bit misguided. Take for example, the bat-lash, backlash from Ben Affleck landing the role of Batman. Starting a petition isn't going to change anything, nor should it. The man just won an Oscar for directing "Argo" and has the acting chops to pull off Bruce Wayne/Batman. Unconvinced? Just watch "To the Wonder". It's a beautiful film and he pulls off a whole range of complex emotions with very little dialogue. Besides, "Daredevil" was a long time ago and everyone deserves a second chance.

I still remember the cyber-response to Heath Ledger landing the role of the Joker. It was insane. Some people were terribly ugly about it. They didn't want to give him a chance, instead resorting to hopelessly uncreative insults like "Jokeback Mountain." Never mind the fact that he was hugely talented. Everyone had an opinion and most of them were nasty. As expected, his detractors were silenced by one of the best performances of the year, one that the Academy chose to honor with a tragically posthumous Oscar.

Although I understand the passion that drives movie fans to revolt at casting decisions, I do wonder how that passion could be channeled into something more productive. Is starting a petition really going to do any good? Couldn't that energy be harnessed into writing a book or a script? Go work in the movies if you want to be in control of the creative decisions. The point is, leave Ben Affleck alone. He's more qualified than most of us.