Ben Affleck, battered by two years of personal and professional woes, will play tragic TV Superman George Reeves in a modest-budget independent film.

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The role in "Truth, Justice and the American Way," which could bring Affleck as little as $2 million, would portray the troubled 1950s TV hero who died under mysterious circumstances, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The 32-year-old Affleck, an Oscar winner at 24, in the past two years went through a public breakup with actress Jennifer Lopez and a series of poorly received films.

Friend and director Kevin Smith told the newspaper the decision to portray Reeves in the indie film is "a great choice that's pretty critic-proof."

"It's not the lead and he's playing an actor whose career was in turmoil. Smells like Ben's comeback to me," Smith said.

Affleck recently wrapped shooting "Man About Town" in which he portrayed a Hollywood agent who faces a media scandal. Director Mike Binder said Affleck "learned a lot in the last two years, trust me."