Ben Affleck's Batman to be a 'tired and weary' crimefighter, says studio
Ben Affleck's Batman will be "tired
and weary", according to the head of
the studio behind the caped crusader's
return in an upcoming head to head
with Superman.
Speaking to investors yesterday at a
conference in the US, Warner Bros
CEO Kevin Tsujihara confirmed
rumours that the new Dark Knight
would be a more mature figure than
previous iterations. "[He'll be] tired
and weary and seasoned and been
doing it for awhile," he said at the
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
media communications and
entertainment conference, adding
that the studio thought Affleck was
"perfect" for the role and expected
the film to be "huge".
Affleck was revealed as the surprise
new Batman last month for a film
that is ostensibly a sequel to this
summer's Superman reboot Man of
Steel from director Zack Snyder. The
choice of the actor-director has not
been without controversy: a petition
calling for studio Warner Bros to find
someone else to wear the famous
cape and cowl has picked up more
than 92,000 signatures on the website
change.org.
Tsujihara nevertheless said he
expected Man of Steel 2 , which has
been unofficially dubbed "Superman
vs Batman" to perform well. "We
think it's the perfect springboard for
Batman and Superman," he said. "Ben
is perfect for the vision Zack has for
that character. The fact that you saw
such a passionate response in the
blogosphere is really kind of a
testament to the love that people have
for this character."
Warner plans to follow the Man of
Steel sequel with a Justice League
movie, which like its print source will
see Batman, Superman, Wonder
Woman and several minor heroes
uniting to protect the Earth. It is
unknown if Affleck will also play
Batman in a new standalone series,
but the Oscar-winning film-maker
has signed on for several films. It is
also thought he may get involved in a
directing capacity at some stage.
Tsujihara's description of a "tired
and weary" Batman tallies with
reports that Man of Steel 2 will be
influenced by Frank Miller's classic
comic book The Dark Knight Returns.
That famous 1986 volume sees
Gotham's defender come into conflict
with Superman over the former's
increasingly jaded perspective and
hardline crime-fighting tactics.
