14 DAY TRIAL // This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly is dedicated to the upcoming “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” directed by Zack Snyder and introducing Ben Affleck as Batman, only 4 years after Christian Bale pretty much owned the role in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.
The fans hated Warner Bros. when they cast Affleck in the role, and chances are many still do. Those who don’t are still surprised this came to happen, but at least they’re not alone. Affleck too couldn’t believe his ears when he was approached with the offer.
Affleck was surprised by the offer, couldn’t believe it
EW has released more of the Batman-related content they prepared for the print issue, and it also includes a chat with Affleck on how he came to even be considered for the iconic part.
He admits that he had trouble understanding why he was being offered the role, mostly because of his age. When he got the call back, he was 41, and he imagined Warners would want someone younger.
He also attributed being offered the role to doing “Argo” and winning an Oscar for it. He even makes a joke that this is a “strange way” to land such a role: first an Oscar and then the superhero movie role. Common sense would say it should be the other way around.
Affleck’s Batman
As for what fans should expect from this new Batman, Affleck explains that the movie will make it clear why an “older” actor was cast.
“He really keeps up the image of the playboy, actively,” he says. “So you have more of a dichotomy which I thought was really fun, and a little sad, like the aging playboy.”
Granted, this much was a known fact. Director Zack Snyder long said that this new iteration of Batman would have very little in common with Bale’s, in that this Batman is older and out of practice, retired and not really eager to get back in the crime-fighting game.
He will be brought out of his self-imposed isolation by Superman’s actions in “Man of Steel,” when he brought down half of Metropolis fighting General Zod. So in the end, it will be up to him to bring Superman to justice, at least in the eyes of the people.
Asked why he took the part if he really thought he was such a bad choice for it, Affleck keeps it real and honest: he has very high aspirations for himself as a director, and one day, he sees himself at the helm of a production with this kind of budget.
Obviously, the best way to get an idea of what it’s like to direct such a huge film is to be in it and have an insider’s perspective. He calls “Dawn of Justice” his very own “refresher course.”
“Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice” also stars Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons and Jesse Eisenberg, and opens in theaters worldwide in March 2016.