5 Reasons Everyone Should Calm Down About Ben Affleck's Batman Casting

2. The Problem With Fanboys

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 This leads me to my biggest problem with this situation: the fanboys themselves. Whenever a piece of casting has been announced for any of these films, fanboys always seem to lose their minds because, despite whatever resume an actor or actress has, if they don't look the part or have done any bad films prior they have no right to play these beloved characters. One of the most shameful acts from fanboys was the recent decision to cast up and coming actress Shailene Woodley as Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Woodley is a young star who held her own against George Clooney in The Descendants, displaying some very impressive acting skills for a woman her age with such a seasoned star. Set to appear in the lead role in Divergent, the first adaptation of the popular book series, she is making quite the name for herself, yet fanboys raged when they learnt she was set to play the popular Mary Jane. Was it for any legitimate reason, maybe because they thought she could not act well with veteran stars, or perhaps because Amazing 2 was getting too crowded with characters? No, they raged for the much less noble reason that Shailene Woodley simply is not 'hot enough' to play Spider-Man's love. This has to be one of the most disgusting and misogynistic responses I've ever seen from the fanboy community. It baffles me because they of course want the film to be good, but would they rather have a Victoria's Secret model play the role or a true actress? Her 'hotness' doesn't ultimately even matter - it's what she can do and if she can make viewers invest in her character which ultimately matters. This is hardly the first time they've loudly complained about a casting role; Chris Evans was bashed when he gained the role of Captain America because he did not have blond hair; they complained when Chris Hemsworth, a relative newcomer to the industry, was cast as Thor; they complained when Anne Hathaway would not have a whip as Catwoman and I don't need to further discuss Heath Ledger.
Contributor
Contributor

Richard Church has a Bachelor of Arts in English and a diploma in Television Writing and Producing. He is an aspiring writer for short stories, novels and screenplays. He is also an avid fan of comic books and graphic novels.