14 DAY TRIAL // One of the first things Ben Affleck talked about in his first interview since the announcement that he would be playing Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” was how badly he needed to hit the gym to bulk up for the role.
According to reports online, he didn’t waste time in doing just that, starting training months ahead the start date for the production. Weeks later, paparazzi photos confirmed that he had added some muscle mass, though still had some way to go until he got as physically imposing as Christian Bale in “Batman Begins.”
Then, Zack Snyder, who also directed last year’s Superman reboot “Man of Steel” and will helm the upcoming “Justice League” as well, released the photo above, the first official look at Affleck as the legendary Caped Crusader.
You can probably tell that Affleck isn’t just ripped in it, he’s positively huge. We believe this impression is mostly due to the costume, which has a more fleshy feel because of all those bulging veins, a first for any Batsuit. Not even George Clooney’s Batsuit with the nipples had veins on it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck too did his part, training hard in Boston with a cousin of his good friend Matt Damon. So it’s not just the suit, he’s actually been packing considerable muscle mass.
“Jamie [Damon] is among a group of trainers, including Affleck's main sweat sergeant, Walter Norton Jr., who have been training the actor both in L.A. and on set for the superhero part. The crew aren't Hollywood trainers either, but hometown talent from the Institute of Performance Fitness, based in North Reading, Mass., near Boston,” THR says.
The publication doesn’t reveal anything about Affleck’s workout regime or whether he’s been a diet too, but expect this kind of details to emerge later on, as the promo tour for the film kicks into high gear. On the downside, this won’t happen too soon: “Batman V. Superman” is scheduled for release in May 2016 and there’s still some time until it goes into production.
Until then, Ben has time to actually fill that suit with muscle mass because, no matter what they say, he’s not as bulky as he appears in the photo above. And fill it he will because he has a long riding on this role, especially after the massive backlash he received for being cast in the film.
To many fans, Ben Affleck will forever remain the guy who ruined Daredevil, the character, even though he wasn’t entirely responsible for how bad that movie turned out to be. Casting him as Batman is still regarded as a very bad choice, and pressure must be high on Affleck to prove naysayers wrong: this means he must deliver both through his performance and his physical transformation.