Ben Affleck to be next Batman
The two-time Academy Award winner is cast as the caped crusader in "Man of Steel 2," the Batman-Superman pairing expected in 2015.
Are you ready for a new caped crusader?
Ben Affleck was unmasked Thursday as the actor who will portray Batman in "Man of Steel 2," the planned sequel to this summer's Superman blockbuster. Movie fans got their first taste of the new movie, which pairs up the two superheroes for the first time on the big screen, during a panel discussion at Comic-Con last month.
The 2015 Warner Bros. movie will be directed by Zack Snyder and feature Henry Cavill reprising the role of Superman/Clark Kent. Other "Man of Steel" stars set to return include Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, and Diane Lane.
"We knew we needed an extraordinary actor to take on one of DC Comics' most enduringly popular superheroes, and Ben Affleck certainly fits that bill, and then some," Warner Bros.' President of Production Greg Silverman said in a statement. "His outstanding career is a testament to his talent and we know he and Zack will bring new dimension to the duality of this character."
Affleck, who has won Academy Awards for last year's "Argo" and 1997's "Good Will Hunting," is no stranger to the superhero genre. In 2003, he played the title role in the largely forgettable movie "Daredevil," which has garnered a 45 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The new movie is said to be a reimagining of the superheroes' decades-long, friendly dynamic, positioning them on opposite ends of the political and social spectrum.