Ben Affleck discusses the casting problem to be Batman, reading Zack Snyder’s plan, it’s ‘incredible’
Fans haven’t been happy about the casting of Ben Affleck at Batman, even though co-star Henry Cavill sounds thrilled about the idea.
“I expected that reaction,” Ben Affleck told Playboy Magazine when they asked how he felt as he learned of the fans’ vile reaction to the news.
“Warner Bros. told me, ‘You should know what you’re getting into.’ They showed me the reactions to other folks who had been cast in these roles. They said this is how it tends to play out initially.”
Affleck explains how he turned down the role until he read the material.
“When they asked if I would be Batman, I told them I don’t see myself in the role and I was going to have to beg off. They said I’d fit well into how they were going to approach the character and asked me to look at what the writer-director, Zack Snyder, was doing. The stuff was incredible.”
In fact, the Argo director and star credits Snyder entirely with the decision to suit up.
“It was a unique take on Batman that was still consistent with the mythology. It made me excited. All of a sudden I had a reading of the character. When people see it, it will make more sense than it does now or even than it did to me initially. I don’t want to give away too much, but the idea for the new Batman is to redefine him in a way that doesn’t compete with the Bale and Chris Nolan Batman but still exists within the Batman canon. It will be an older and wiser version, particularly as he relates to Henry Cavill’s Superman character.”
Fans may find Batman and Superman’s relationship to be interesting and separate from the Nolan universe.
“If I thought the result would be another Daredevil, I’d be out there picketing myself. [laughs] Why would I make the movie if I didn’t think it was going to be good and that I can be good in it? The only movie I actually regret is Daredevil. It just kills me. I love that story, that character, and the fact that it got [frick]ed up the way it did stays with me. Maybe that’s part of the motivation to do Batman.”
The Man of Steel sequel, nicknamed Batman vs Superman is set to arrive in theaters on July 17, 2015.
