Unfortunately there's a ton of people on the Internet who've already made up their mind and decided that the casting of Affleck is the worst thing to ever happen to humanity. I'm not kidding, there's a ton of petitions already started to make it ILLEGAL for him to play the role (check it out here if you don't believe me). That makes me want to hang my head in shame and embarrassment for the people who came up with those petitions and/or are backing them.
So, to show that these casting prejudices are something that will eventually come around and will bite these people in the ass I present you 5 casting choices that seemed questionable at the time but then turned out to be great.
Heath Ledger as The Joker
After the massive critical and financial success of The Dark Knight, it seems almost ridiculous that people ever doubted that Heath Ledger could pull off the role that was up to that point dominated by the iconic performance of Jack Nicholson in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. The doubters and protesters expected that then-prettyboy Ledger would be too limited in his acting ability to ever come even close to fulfilling anyone's expectations. One Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and worldwide praise definitely shut those naysayers up.
Daniel Craig as James Bond
By the time the last Pierce Brosnan Bond Die Another Day was released in 2002 and the series had (again) jumped the shark, the producers decided it was time for a reboot of the franchise. That also meant a recast of 007. Once it was announced that Daniel Craig would introduce himself as "Bond. James Bond." the outcry of the fanboys was ridiculous. One of their biggest complaints was that he is blond. Seriously, his freakin' hair color?!?! Again, by the time Casino Royale was released the complainers turned silent. With at least two more Craig Bonds to come (after Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall) one can safely say that this casting decision worked out well.
Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (1993)
Nowadays Tom Hanks is an institution of contemporary US American cinema but back in the early 90s he was still mostly knows as the funny man (with films like Splash, Big and Turner & Hooch) so casting him as a gay lawyer with AIDS in Jonathan Demme's drama seemed like a very, very risky choice. Fortunately he proved himself quite a good actor showing range previously unknown and opening the door for his future dramatic performances in films like Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, The Green Mile, Cast Away and Road to Perdition.
Jim Carrey in The Truman Show (1998)
Similar to Hanks in Philadelphia (but even more extreme), casting Jim Carrey in the title role of Peter Weir's drama definitely seemed like mock casting. Known for his over-the-top grimacing and physical humor in films like Ace Ventura, The Mask and Dumb & Dumber no one would have expected him to turn in what is probably one of the best performances overlooked by the Academy (at least in my book it is). Carrey would go on to jump between funny and serious roles later on with varying success but The Truman Show sticks out as the role that established him as more than just a clown.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street (2012)
Now here's another case of fanboy rage (wait, am I repeating myself?). When it was announced that 80s show 21 Jump Street would receive the Hollywood treatment starring the guy with the nice abs (and supposed lack of talent) from Step Up and the chunky kid from Superbad nobody could have expected such a surprisingly hilarious end result. Tatum proved that he has more than just a couple of dance moves and good looks and Jonah Hill also demonstrated that he's a comedic force with leading man potential. Keep your eyes open for the sequel 22 Jump Street in June 2014 when the two will be undercover at college.
YA!
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