Following the announcement of Ben Affleck’s role in Warner Bros.’ as yet untitled sequel to Man of Steel – tentatively titled Batman Vs. Superman – not much was said regarding his controversial part in the Zack Snyder-directed follow-up. However, during an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Affleck opened up about his casting for the first time and spoke candidly about the fevered criticism that was levelled at the news almost a month ago.
Here’s the clip in full – with the Batman discourse starting around the two minute mark:
Ultimately, it seems Affleck has taken the gross internet disapproval in his stride and that he “can handle” it. The actor-cum-director – who achieved Oscar success last year with his hostage thriller Argo – has reportedly signed a multi-film deal as the world’s greatest detective; with Warner Bros. eager to establish a greater cinematic presence with their comic canon. We understand that his incarnation of the caped crusader for Batman Vs. Superman will be a weary, almost grizzled version of the iconic character.
What’s interesting, though, is that Warner Bros. almost anticipated the kneejerk reaction before they confirmed Affleck’s lead role.
“The people from the studio were like ‘We’re thrilled… and listen we want to talk to you because people go through this process and it can be a little trying,” the 41-year-old explained. “They said, ‘We want to show you some of the reactions that past cast members have got on the internet’.”
In truth, to label Affleck’s casting as “trying” may be understating the community dissonance. The news evoked such a passionate response that fans began a petition to remove the actor from the role of Batman. Either way, it’s been confirmed that Henry Cavill will return alongside Affleck in the forthcoming movie, which will be directed by Zack Snyder and penned by David S. Goyer.
Batman Vs. Superman is poised to hit theatres on July 17th, 2015. Until then, be sure to drop your thoughts on Ben Affleck’s first interview as Gotham’s Dark Knight in the comments below.