Ben Affleck will replace Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne in the upcoming untitled Batman-Superman feature for Warner. Affleck becomes the eighth actor to play the Caped Crusader, following Christian Bale, George Clooney and Michael Keaton.
“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,” Warner president Greg Silverman said in a statement.
Joss Whedon’s Support
One of the world’s biggest fan boy figures came out in full support of the new Batman on Friday night. Joss Whedon, director of “The Avengers,” tweeted that Ben Affleck will “crush it” in the upcoming Batman-Superman feature. “He’s got the chops, he’s got the chin — just needs the material,” he wrote. “Affleck & Cavill toe to toe — I’m in.”
Whedon’s tweet followed a wave of “Batfleck” backlash on the Internet after Warner Bros. and DC Comics made the announcement Thursday. His comments also temporarily cooled any perceived rivalry between Marvel’s “Avengers” and DC’s own all-star fleet The Justice League.
The Zack Snyder-directed Batman-Superman feature arrives in theaters July 17, 2015, just two months after Whedon’s “Avengers” sequel opens in May.
Directed by “Man of Steel” filmmaker Zack Snyder, the Batman-Superman feature will open worldwide on July 17, 2015, with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Diane Lane reprising their roles.
“Man of Steel,” released this past June, has earned over $650 million at the global box office.
“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,” Snyder said in a statement. “I can’t wait to work with him.”
The announcement of a Batman-Superman film was revealed last month at Comic-Con to much excitement of fan boys, who will surely be watching as the studio begins to assemble its Justice League.
At one point Warner was interested in having Affleck direct the “Justice League” movie and his participation in this film will now spur interest if whether his casting means a possibility of directing that film.
Affleck can be seen next in Fox and New Regency’s thriller “Runner Runner.”
