Ben Affleck is Batman...

[MacNimon]

...playing alongside Henry Cavill's Superman in the forthcoming Superman/Batman sequel to Man Of Steel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23806756

Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman in a forthcoming Superman sequel, bringing together the two superheroes in one film for the first time.

The 41-year-old will star opposite British actor Henry Cavill, who will reprise his role as Superman from the most recent film, Man of Steel.

Director Zack Snyder revealed the big screen superhero mash-up at a comic convention in San Diego last month.

Production is expected to begin next year for release in the summer of 2015.

"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 Bros President Greg Silverman said in a statement.

Mr Snyder, who also directed Man of Steel, said in a statement that Mr Affleck will provide an "interesting counter-balance" to 31-year old Cavill's Clark Kent.

"(Affleck) 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," said Snyder. "I can't wait to work with him."

The sequel - which has yet to be given a title - will reunite Man of Steel stars Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White) and Diane Lane (Martha Kent).


Christian Bale most recently played Batman in director Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.

Michael Keaton and George Clooney have also donned the black mask and cape in previous Batman films.

Ben Affleck's film Argo, which he starred in and directed, won an Academy Award for best picture earlier this year.

The superhero genre is not new to Mr Affleck, who previously starred as the blind hero in the 2003 Daredevil film based on the Marvel Comics.

Batman and Superman are part of DC Comics universe, which is part of the Warner Bros Entertainment division.

Revenues from the latest films featuring Superman and Batman have exceeded $1bn (£655m) in recent years.

It seems to have caused quite a stir online with plenty of people complining about his casting. Personally, I can't quite understand all the hatred...I think he's a decent and likeable actor and think he's a good enough choice. What about you?

[WhiteCrowNZ]

And you thought Who fans were baying over the recent casting ...

[Rob McCow]

Varying opinions:

Ben Affleck is a great choice! The only downer is that it kind of precludes Joseph Gordon-Levvit starring in his own Robin / Nightwing movie.

I'm totally apathetic to the whole thing.

Now that all Superhero movies are the same, it really doesn't matter who they cast.

Maybe they will make a good film, but I suspect it'll be the usual money-wasting CGI mega-mash that they always do. I'm actually more keen on seeing the anime they did recently of The Dark Knight Returns.

In fact, I'd be more intrigued to get some Bat VS Sup graphic novels.

Bah!

[Alex]

Varying opinions:
Maybe they will make a good film, but I suspect it'll be the usual money-wasting CGI mega-mash that they always do. I'm actually more keen on seeing the anime they did recently of The Dark Knight Returns.

That's how I feel. I wasn't that big a fan of Nolan's Batman trilogy, with only the second really working for me and that was down to Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker more than anything else. And whilst I haven't seen Man of Steel yet, all the clips and everything I've read about it suggests it'll frustrate me, I really struggle with overly serious superhero movies, so I've not much optimism that this will turn out to be any good. Still, if the reviews are very positive I'll see it at the cinema, if not I'll wait for it to turn up on tv.

Edit: I've just discovered the existence of this: http://www.amazon.com/Superman-Batma...%26+Werewolves - So I guess things could have turned out worse!

[WhiteCrowNZ]

That's how I feel. I wasn't that big a fan of Nolan's Batman trilogy, with only the second really working for me and that was down to Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker more than anything else.

Yeah ... and I'm sorry but the Bane "fake Sean Connery" voice I just cannot take seriously. Now I'm not sure if I'm doing a bad Sean Connery of a "spot on" Bane impersonation any more.

[Rob McCow]

Bane: "Batman! I will break your SPINE and crush your SPIRIT and destroy your CITY! Then I will head to the opera with a few chums from the Bullingdon Club and quaff Champagne until the small hours, maybe we shall ride home in a hansom - oh how archaic of me, I mean a cab! What larks."

Oh and I really want to hear another actor doing the stupid Bat Voice. Woop!

[Rob McCow]

Oh and Kevin Smith says Ben Affleck built a Batcave in his house. At least, that's what the DigitalSpy article claimed along with a slightly hysterical Kevin Smith.

Smith said on the Hollywood Babble-On podcast: "His house that I would end up buying, when I first saw it he was touring me through the place and said, 'Come here, I gotta show you my room'.

"He brings me into the room and goes, 'Look at this'. There's an office room and this beautiful bookcase - he reached under and he clicked something and all of a sudden the bookcase opened.

"I was like, 'No! You built a f**king Batcave?' And he was like, 'No I built a Batcave entrance!' When you went in behind the bookcase it was a panic room."

Smith, who penned the Batman: Cacophony and Widening Gyre books for DC Comics, added that Affleck in the role of Batman "makes absolute sense".

"This dude has loved Batman going as far back as I can remember. He only did Daredevil because he loved Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns," Smith explained.

"He's like, 'They're never going to make another Batman', because this was after Batman had nipples. So he was like, 'Daredevil's cool, and Miller wrote him as well'. So he liked the character, but it was always rooted in Batman.

"He's always been into the notion. He'll honour the character. I honestly think the dude's a great actor, it makes absolute sense."

[SiHart]

The problem with these films is they take themselves so seriously. Dark and brooding is fine, as long as there's some humour to balance them out. They're not as fun as they should be.

[Mike Saville]

Most of the Affleck haters are there because of the turkey that was the cinematic release of Daredevil, though the director's cut extended movie is a far superior item. I think Affleck's a competent actor, though been poor in some poor films.



I really disliked the Bale Batman. The first was alright, mostly from its source material (Batman Year One) and some excellent casting elsewhere, but the franchise plummeted badly. I don't get why everyone raves about Heath Ledger's Joker. Personally, I thought it was poor, and think it's a great example of the dying is a good career move theory. Aaron Eckhart's Dent was far better acted.

The less said of the interminable third film the better. A nonsensical plot that follows a Joker who bears no resemblance to the comic book version with a Bane that's even less so. I rate the the last of the trilogy on a par with Schumacher's Batman and Robin.

Affleck can't possibly be any worse for me.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Sean Connery as Bane. Wtf. Still don't get that