Warner Bros. Announces Ben Affleck is New Batman to Harsh Reactions

Warner Bros. announced this Friday that Ben Affleck will be playing Batman in their upcoming superhero showdown flick "Batman vs. Superman" opposite Henry Cavill. The news was met with mixed at best, and very negative at worst, reactions from American fans of the iconic comic franchise.

Given Christian Bale's refusal to resume his role as Bruce Wayne and the caped crime fighter in any upcoming Batman films, the issue of filling his massive shoes has put Warner Bros. in a tough spot; in a desperate move, they even offered the star $50 million to resume the role, according to many sites, all to no avail. The search for a replacement Batman had Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, and Orlando Bloom's names floating around.

Following the announcement, a number of online petitions were posted opposing the choice. One petition against Affleck has garnered over 50,000 signatures. Another one argues, "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... Please find someone else."

Affleck is somewhat a man of many faces in Hollywood. After becoming a bona fide heartthrob in the 1990s, he put his nose to the grind to be recognized as a serious actor, which he accomplished with " Good Will Hunting," which he starred in and co-wrote, earning him an Oscar in 1998. He's now done the same with directing, with the acclaimed Boston crime drama " The Town" and last year's Oscar underdog winner " Argo."

Director Zack Snyder will begin shooting "Batman vs. Superman" next year. It's slated for a July 2015 release.