Who would have guessed that all these years Matt Murdock was secretly a cover for Bruce Wayne? That’s right, folks, Warner Bros. announced today that none other than one-time Daredevil actor and Oscar-winning director Ben Affleck will be donning the iconic cowl of Batman alongside Henry Cavill’s Superman in Zack Synder’s untitled Batman/Superman film, his follow-up to Man of Steel which drops on July 17th 2015.
Can’t you just picture it now? Here’s the full press release for your reading pleasure:
BURBANK, CA, August 22, 2013 – Ending weeks of speculation, Ben Affleck has been set to star as Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne. Affleck and filmmaker Zack Snyder will create an entirely new incarnation of the character in Snyder’s as-yet-untitled project—bringing Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen and continuing the director’s vision of their universe, which he established in “Man of Steel.†The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, and Sue Kroll, President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
The studio has slated the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.
Last month’s surprise announcement of the new movie featuring both Superman and Batman created a wave of excitement and immediately fueled discussion and debate—among fans as well as in the media—about who would put on the cape and cowl of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego.
Snyder successfully re-imagined the origin of Clark Kent/Superman in the worldwide blockbuster “Man of Steel,†which has earned more than $650 million worldwide to date, and climbing. The director will now create an original vision of Batman and his world for the film that brings the two DC Comics icons together.
Affleck will star opposite Henry Cavill, who will reprise the role of Superman/Clark Kent. The film will also reunite “Man of Steel†stars Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane.
In the announcement, Silverman stated, “We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics’ most enduringly popular Super Heroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some. His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character.â€
Snyder also expressed his excitement about the casting of Affleck, noting, “Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.â€
Kroll added, “We are so thrilled that Ben is continuing Warner Bros.’ remarkable legacy with the character of Batman. He is a tremendously gifted actor who will make this role his own in this already much-anticipated pairing of these two beloved heroes.â€
Affleck recently starred in the Academy Award®-winning Best Picture “Argo,†which he also directed and produced, earning acclaim and a BAFTA Award nomination for his performance in the film, as well as a number of directing honors. In 2010, he starred in and directed the hit crime thriller “The Town.†His recent acting work also includes “The Company Men,†“State of Play,†and “Hollywoodland,†for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Earlier in his career, Affleck starred in and co-wrote (with Matt Damon) “Good Will Hunting,†for which he won an Oscar® for Best Original Screenplay.
The new Super Hero film is being scripted by David S. Goyer from a story he co-created with Zack Snyder. Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder are producing, with Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan and Wesley Coller serving as executive producers.
Production is expected to begin in 2014.
The film is based on Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster, and Batman characters created by Bob Kane, published by DC Entertainment.
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A while ago, we told you what we thought Man of Steel 2 should be and we’re pretty sure it didn’t include the guy from Paycheck. But we’ve been wrong before and hopefully we’ll be pleasantly surprised again. In the meantime, have at it in the comments section or let me know what you think on Twitter.
Christian Bale is the Best
What a Joke, I for one wont be going to see this Piece of Crap of a film, really, why can they get Great actors like Hugh Jackman for WOlverine he was made for that role, yet do something like this and hire Ben Afflack yeah I spelled it like the Duck They should have hired that duck he would do a better job. After this film bombs bigtime which is going to happen you wait and see, it will be just a bad memory like a few of the other Batman films, that had Cloney, Killmer and the last Nolen film with BANE what a joke. Then hopefully Tim Burton will come back as director. Michael Keaton will always be BATMAN..
Look at it this way , just be happy they didn’t pick Ashton Kutcher or Robert Pattinson !!! Ben Affleck doesnt sound to bad after seeing those 2 possibilities lol
It genuinely astonishes me that *anyone* cares this much about the details of a corporate entertainment product like the upcoming Superman/Batman movie.
Wow, a LOT of shit-talking about the new man behind the bat symbol. OK OK… there’s a sea of bitterness sweltering and swirling here, and I’ve got to say that the ignorance and short-sightedness here is pretty disappointing. It first comes down to really knowing what someone’s talking about before casting judgement – and then It’s all about the proof in the pudding… acting chops – watch movies like “Argo”, “Jersey Girl” (laugh if you want; if you’re a parent, you know he knocked this role out of the park) and “The Town”, and you find out Ben’s got them. OK, “failing in comic book movies” ;his role as Daredevil? I personally LOVE the character of Daredevil (being an artist myself, I can recall Daredevil as being THE FIRST Marvel character I drew as a kid!! anyways…) For the “failure” of Daredevil, blame the poor directing, vision and production of the film company and it’s body of parties involved. Ben had the look and feel of the character spot-on, and the guys behind the cameras just didn’t know what to do with a good Marvel Superhero. Elektra was a snoozer for the same reasons — just a few in many a long list of comic-to-screen ideas that didn’t have to fail, but unfortunately… and quite miserably did; now if you put Ben together with someone, say… Chris Nolan and the like — guys who know how to bring out the best from their acting talent… and BOOM!! you got another good Batman. Ben’s got the looks – he’s got the chops – being a good friend of Kevin Smith (I hope to GOD you guys know who Kevin Smith is), you KNOW he’s got a great sense of dark wit and humor, with a base of when to turn it on and off… you’ve got a dead-on Bruce Wayne… a good Batman flick… and the charismatic guidance to make sure it’s a good Batman flick. As a wrap, to the skeptics, take a deep breath(although you might hate it – delivering oxygen to the brain – calming down and being a little rational before ranting), pick up on solid thinking – watch some movies and discover (or rediscover) what I’m talking about here. Stop the axe-grinding so much and take a closer look at things would ya?!.
Ben As Batman Will Be Awesome I Cant Wait for movie . . .
i m a big fan of ben and i will be watching this movie for sure
http://www.planetpc.in/2013/08/ben-affleck-as-batman-casting-in-man-of.html
I really don’t know how I feel about this . I really loved “Man of Steel ” and Zack Synder is an awesome director ,so I trust him . But Ben Affleck ……wow I did not see that coming . I have never been a fan of his (except on a SNL ) . But I have always felt that actors are really just tools for writers and directors to use ,so like I said I trust Zack . I kind of wished he picked John Hamm instead ,since they did work together on “Sucker Punch ” ….oh well to late I guess .
Also here is a quote that Ben said after playing Daredevil (which I hate him and the director for ) –
“In November 2006, Ben Affleck stated that he would never reprise the role, having felt “by playing a superhero in Daredevil, I have inoculated myself from ever playing another superhero… Wearing a costume was a source of humiliation for me and something I wouldn’t want to do again soon.”
So take that as you will .
I Completely Agree With The Gentleman On Making A 4Th Nolan Film. I Also Had High Hopes That Nolan, Bale, And All The Other Actors Would Come Back And Make One Last Film. Everybody Knows The Penguin And The Riddler Would Probably Be The Villians, Along With Some Others As Well. But This News Has Destroyed All Hopes For That Now. Bale Couldve Returned As Batman, Levitt Wouldve Been Robin….Or Nightwing, And It Wouldve Been A Great Movie. Because The Story Wouldve Been Great, And Believable. Ive Been Reading Some Of These Comments, And Clearly…..You People Are Way Too Young To Be Saying Snyders Superman Is The Best Ever. That Movie Was Terrible, And It Ruined Superman. Now, Snyder Will Ruin Batman Too. Why, Why, Why, Why, Why Would You People At Warner Bros Wanna Go Back To Making Batman A Joke? Did You Not See The Dark Knight Trilogy? Why Didnt You Just Rehire Joel Schumaker And George Clooney??? You People In Hollywood Are Not Fans Of Batman Or Any Other Super Hero Comics!!!! All You Are Thinking About Is Money!!! But I Still Dont Understand. The Nolan Films Brought You Billions. Why Would You Foolishly Wanna MessWith That? Youre Not Thinking Of The Fans At All. Affleck Is The Worst Person For This Role!!! He Not Believable In The Role. Do You Really See Ben Affleck Taking On Bane?? I Love The Dark Knight Trilogy. I Waited For So Long For Batman To Be Fixed And Done Rite. It Finally Happened….But Now Youre Gonna Destroy It Again!!!!!! If You Were Looking At This From A Fans Point Of View, You Would Get Rid Of Affleck…..Now!!!!!! Before Its Too Late!!!! If He Plays Batman In The New Superman Film, I Will Never Watch It…….Ever!!!!! Cuz I Do Not Want My Image Of Batman Destroyed…..Again!!!! You People Better Be Reading These Comments And Taking Them Serious. Cuz I Know I Wont Be The Only One That Wont Go See This Embarressment!!!!! So If Its Tons Of Money Youre Thinking About, Then You Better Think Really HarD About This……Cuz Youre Gonna Lose Alot Of Money On This Film. Cuz The Real Fans Will Never Go See This Bullshit!!!!!!
I can reserve judgement for Affleck’s Batman until we can see his performance. That being said I think Dick Grayson’s Batman would be a better fit for him, considering the Daredevil history. 🙂
What a tragedy. I never post any online comments about entertainment, but really. The possibility for a quality 4th installment in the Christopher Nolan “Batman” series has been flushed down the toilet. The Nolan interpretation of the “Batman” story was the first to make this a believable, nearly real-world adventure. The writing, acting and directing combined to turn out a wildly successful series of films because the vision was maintained with integrity throughout the 3 films. The possibilities of the expansion of the story with Robin plus the introduction of carefully crafted new villains could have been very successful. The series was successful because that writing, acting and directing appeared seamless and the audience became comfortable with the characters. So, let’s throw that all away and try something totally different. And of all people to choose to portray Batman…Ben Affleck? An Oscar for one thing does not make a person suited for every possible role. But, that’s Hollywood. I suppose these studio execs think that one successful thing can just be thrown in with another successful thing and plug in any successful actor and you’ll get a wildly successful product. I know, let’s do “Iron Man Saves The Titanic” with Will Ferrell as Iron Man. I had high hopes that Nolan would return with a 4th Batman movie, even bigger and better than the previous 3, with all the fantastic actors each reprising their roles, with a true quality story in keeping with the vision of the previous 3. I had high hopes that any 4th movie would not be tainted with an unbelievable plot, or some campy/cartoon-like characters, or some whimsical approach to the here-to-fore very serious story lines. But seriously, Ben Affleck? Certain fantasy worlds should not mix with others and I just don’t see the Superman world in any way fitting with the Batman world, but that’s just me. Really, Ben Affleck? I agree with many others, the latest and most successful Batman series was that of Nolan and Bale plus the excellent story/screenplay by Goyer/C&J Nolan. Christian Bale IS Batman. What a tragedy.
I really really want to be optimistic about this, but I don’t think I can. They really should have went with someone more unknown. This just is not right. I don’t know who he bribed to do this, but it was a horiible choice. I really didn’t like Bale as batman either. Maybe if they actually write the character the right way I’d at least feel a little better. No one ever showcases how insanely smart Bruce wayne/batman really is. He designed the watchtower, the bat computer, and even concocted plans to take down every member of the justice league should one of them turn evil. If we make him more like the worlds greatest detective then it might just turn out ok. I mean Snyder made the best superman movie, hands down, to date. So maybe he can pull this off too. I’ll be waiting to see with fingers crossed.
Kevin smith is full of glee today id say. Not only has he directed batman, but is close friends with him and owns his old house. How long before he starts calling his house the former wayne manor now?
He’s got a big jaw and black hair, so he should do okay. Let’s be cereal, Batman doesn’t need to be a great actor.
I like Ben in some of his movies such as reindeer games etc. but giving batman a butt chin is funny lol
No. Just… no. I have no ill will toward Affleck as a human being, I just think he is entirely wrong for this role. He will be the JarJar in the next MoS film. The choice of Affleck as Batman is the evil antithesis to the choice of Peter Capaldi as Doctor Who. Just wrong on so many levels. They really had a good thing going with MoS, and now they’re screwing the pooch. Just… no.
So conflicted…! I didn’t enjoy the Dark Knight movies much, and disliked Man of Steel enormously.
But I am a huge fan of Affleck – so now I guess I will have to suck it up and see the new movie, hoping it will be a big improvement on MoS…