The guessing games are over because Academy Award winner Ben Affleck has accepted the role of Batman for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel….
After weeks of speculation about who would fill the famous shoes of the Caped Crusader in the upcoming Batman/Superman film slated for 2015, Warner Bros announced on Thursday that Academy Award winning actor and director Ben Affleck will pick up the cape and cowl and play opposite Henry Cavill in the upcoming sequel.
Affleck will play Batman with director Zack Snyder creating an entirely new incarnation of the character, different from the version most recently portrayed by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
The new Batman/Superman film, which will serve as the sequel to the 2013 movie Man of Steel, begins filming next year and will hit theaters on July 17, 2015.
“Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman,” Snyder said about the casting on Thursday via press release. “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. I can’t wait to work with him.”
Affleck is no stranger to superhero films having previously played blind lawyer Matt Murdock in the 2003 film Daredevil.
Now he will play one of the most iconic and important roles in superhero film history when he stars as Batman in the upcoming film that will pit him opposite Superman as the DC Universe continues to build towards a possible Justice League movie. Ironically enough when rumors first started about the Justice League film being made, Affleck’s name was mentioned as a potential director.
The film will be written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the original Man of Steel movie that opened this year. The new Batman/Superman project will begin filming in 2014 with Affleck and Cavill taking the lead roles.
