The casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in Zack Snyder's Superman Vs. Batman project has been contentious, to say the least. The actor that many irate Bat-fans suggested instead of the **Argo **director was Josh Brolin, and as it turns out, he was indeed approached by Snyder's people with a view to donning the caped cowl, but it just didn't work out.
Speaking to The Huffington Post at the Toronto Film Festival, where he was promoting Jason Reitman's latest,** Labor Day**, Brolin had this to say about it all:
"We did [have conversations about it]. I didn't have conversations about it, but Zack, that was part of his idea. It just didn't turn out. It's OK. It is OK. You know, another scenario might have worked better, but I'm happy for Ben."
"I've never seen such a global reaction in my life," Brolin added, talking about the fierce reaction the 'Batfleck' news received online. "I feel for him, truly. I would not want to be him right now. The reaction becomes so personal. It's like, 'Fuck this guy, I wish he was dead.' And you're like, 'What? Dude, seriously? This guy is just working like you are. He's doing the same thing you are. He's trying to make the best choices he can.'"
"...because of the Internet, man, I just feel for anybody who gets lambasted at that level. I want him to kick ass and I want everyone to love it and kind of eat their words."
Once they've given it a bit more thought, it's a safe bet that many of the more die-hard Bat-aficionados will come to the same conclusion: if it all works out with Affleck, it'll all be forgotten. Those petitioners will be more than happy to eat their proverbial hats, much in the same way they did after Heath Ledger's casting as The Joker turned out to be a stroke of genius.
For more on the increasingly long list of casting decisions that caused fans to flip their lids, check out The Greatest Casting Controversies – And How They Turned Out feature. The as-yet untitled **Superman Vs. Batman **project is aiming for a July 17, 2015 release date in the US, kicking off shooting in Detriot early next year.