Yes, This Man Is Set To Play Batman In Upcoming Superman Movie

Only five men have ever played Batman in a motion picture — so far. But for the still-untitled Man of Steel sequel, Warner Brothers has now announced Dark Knight number six: the 41-year-old Ben Affleck.

ben_affleck_new_batmanYou won’t get to see him don the cape until summer 2015, and it’s the first time Batman will have appeared in a movie without being the title character, as Ben Affleck will play Batman in an upcoming Zack Snyder’s Superman sequel that will see the two superheroes face off against each other.

Christian Bale, who starred as Batman in three film installments of “The Dark Knight,” disclosed last month that he wouldn’t be starring in a fourth. “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan also said he wasn’t opting for a fourth movie in the franchise, the magazine said.

ben_affleck_new_batman_05Warner Bros. and DC Comics, the publisher of “Superman” titles, are both units of Time Warner, CNN’s parent company.

“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,” said Greg Silverman, president of creative development at Warner Bros Pictures.

“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.”

Needless to say, the Internet went nuts — and not in a good way.
ben_affleck_new_batman_internet_reaction

The announcement that two iconic comic book heroes will face off against each other was made by Zack Snyder earlier this year at San Diego’s annual Comic-Con – a convention celebrating comic-book and pop culture.

“It’s beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off, since they are the greatest super heroes in the world,” Snyder said.

The quote director Zack Snyder had read out at Comic-Con was a quote from one of the most widely praised graphic novels of all time, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, and references a titanic and terrifying battle in the book’s climax between Batman and Superman.

“I want you to remember my hand at your throat,” the quote, from a then-uncast Batman, went. “I want you to remember the one man who beat you.”

This wouldn’t be Affleck’s first superhero role. In 2003, he played Daredevil, a movie that isn’t remembered particularly fondly. Here’s what Affleck looked like in that costume:
ben_affleck_new_batman_daredevilHopefully, Affleck won’t be as bad of a Batman as George Clooney was. Here’s a picture of George Clooney as Batman. Apparently he keeps a similar picture framed in his office, as a warning not to do movies just for the money.
ben_affleck_new_batman_clooneyBen Affleck is set to play the caped crusader in the sequel to Superman reboot Man Of Steel – nearly 50 years after Adam West, pictured below, donned the famous cowl for the popular American TV series in the 1960s.