Holy Twitter backlash Batman! Ben Affleck casting panned

Ben Affleck will play the Caped Crusader in the Man of Steel sequel. Credit: Tammie Arroyo/AFF/EMPICS Entertainment

The casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel has not gone down too well with many on Twitter.

Warner Bros announced that Affleck will play opposite Henry Cavill's Superman when the characters come to blows in the superhero blockbuster, due for release in July 2015.

But within minutes of the news breaking, the hashtag #BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck was trending.

Suggestions included Kanye West, Only Fools and Horses' Derek "Del Boy" Trotter and Butthead, care of some cunning disguises:

Even shadow chancellor Ed Balls got a mention, thanks to this picture of him on a visit to a children's library yesterday.

Balls later wrote on Twitter:

It will not be the first time Affleck has donned a mask as a superhero - he played the lead in the critically panned Daredevil, which was released in 2003.

Others unimpressed byhis casting include actor Richard Dreyfuss and comedian Frankie Boyle, who wrote on Twitter:

Oscar-winner Affleck has yet to respond to the tongue-in-cheek remarks.