Thousands Sign ‘Remove Ben Affleck as Batman’ Petition, Ask the White House to Get Involved

Plenty of people were not happy to learn that Ben Affleck had been cast as the Dark Knight in the next Superman movie, "Man of Steel 2." While most were content spitting their venom on social media sites like Twitter, some took it a step further, petitioning The White House to somehow prevent the actor from portraying Bruce Wayne's alter ego.

CBS News reports that the petition, which has since been removed, was posted to the White House website's 'We the People' section. It directly asked the Obama administration to "denounce the selection of Ben Affleck” as Batman and to find an actor better suited for the role.

A different petition posted at Change.org, however, is still going strong. Currently, more than 14,000 people have signed it.

"His acting skill is not even close to being believable as Bruce Wayne and he won't do the role justice," reads the petition. "He's not built, nor is he intimidating enough for the role of Batman. His portrayal of Daredevil was atrocious and he's not remotely close to an action star. Please find someone else."

The petition's creator, Ludlow, KY resident John Roden, updated the petition on Friday afternoon:

I would like to add that this petition was not meant in any way to harm Ben Affleck or his career. I respect Affleck's work, I just feel he is inappropriate for the role.

I would also like to denounce any petitions on any other sites bearing this title. I am not/nor was I ever affiliated with them. It came to my attention that someone used my title on whitehouse.gov and I do not support that. The U.S. government has more pressing matters to deal with such as the chemical warfare being used in Syria, rather than who was cast as Batman. This is a neutral site which is why I chose it for fans to voice their opinions.

The comments attached to the petition, which is aimed at Warner Bros. Studios, speak volumes about just how seriously some folks are taking the matter.

Affleck will replace Christian Bale as Batman. Bale played the popular comic book character on the big screen in the franchise's most recent movie trilogy, which closed with 2012's "The Dark Knight Rises."

[via CBS]