Remember back when Heath Ledger was cast as the Joker in The Dark Knight, fresh out of a cowboy drama about gays? Remember the reaction of the superhero movie fans when the announcement was made?
Well, these next superhero casting choices brought the same reactions, although it is unconfirmed yet whether or not the fans were right to dislike the choices made by the directors.
There is no particular order to this list.
Ben Affleck as Batman
When Ben Affleck was cast as Batman, a new superhero was born: Batfleck. Obviously, this was no compliment for the actor, even if he has proven himself time and time again as a worthy lead actor (and not only).
The fans of the superhero genre simply cannot forget that he destroyed Daredevil back in 2003 (although it was not entirely his fault).
Sure enough, seeing him in action has brought some of the fans on the other side of the barricade, in the sense that they now accept him. However, there are still those who hate Batfleck - whether it is his Daredevil role, whether it is his political options, whether it is his ancestry, plenty of reasons for the hate are found.
On the other hand, Warner Bros knows what it's doing, since he was announced as the director of The Batman, the reboot of the superhero franchise.
On the next page, that girl from Fast & Furious (since she doesn't have too many credits as an actress)!
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman
Not only she does not have the body of an Amazonian warrior princess, but Gal Gadot does not have the roles to prove that she is actually a worthy actress. Known especially for her Fast & Furious roles, the superhero actress hasn't proven yet that she can lead any kind of movie.
So Zack Snyder choosing her is sure as hell controversial.
Sure enough, the actress did try to bring the fans on her side, by posting initially pics with herself while training. It did no good, since there were still no muscles on her thin frame.
As it is known, her part in next year's Batman v Superman will be essential in uniting the Justice League. While we did catch a few glimpses of her as both Diana Prince (who looks like a character from the Fast & Furious franchise) and Wonder Woman in the Batman v Superman trailer, I'm still wondering if casting her was a great idea.
On the next page, Mark Zuckerberg!
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
DC can make quite the controversial choices - the next one is not of a superhero, but of a supervillain. The supervillain, one might add - Lex Luthor will be portrayed by Mark Zuckerberg. Sure enough, the actor has proved time and time again that he has the acting chops to pull this role. However, given his more than thin frame"¦
In any way, the actor also made a controversial statement, in which he compared the San Diego Comic Con to some kind of genocide, which really doesn't help him. But be sure to catch him in American Ultra to see how well he performs in an action movie, as the lead actor (no, he wasn't the lead in Zombieland).
On the next page, the best villain of all times!
Jared Leto as Joker
Jared Leto might just be the best actor on this list, right up there with Ben Affleck. But did this help him when he was announced for the role of the Joker? Not at all - also fresh out of the role of a transvestite (just like Heath Ledger was just out of Brokeback Mountain), Leto's job to convince the superhero genre fans will be even more difficult.
And that is because of the new design of the Clown Prince of Crime, an appearance which is disturbing, to say the least. I haven't decided yet what to make of the Suicide Squad trailer: do I like the new Joker because of Jared Leto, do I like him because he is an awesome supervillain, or do I feel like I was cheated?
Of course, this casting choice (and new design) is by far better than having Nicholas Cage as Superman. But still"¦
On the next page, switching gender and race!
Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One
Little is known about this character adaptation, but casting a Caucasian female in the role of an old Asian man is"¦
The superhero movie is Doctor Strange and it isn't known whether or not The Ancient One will be a female or a male. Sure, she did a great job in Constantine as Gabriel, but angels are sexless, if I can say so. Whereas the Ancient one"¦
Do you know of other controversial casting choices in upcoming superhero movies?