Ben Affleck is the new Batman. Relax. Let it sink in. The Oscar-winning Argo director and star is officially confirmed by Warner Bros. for the role of Gotham City’s Dark Knight in the follow-up to Zack Snyder’s summer 2013 hit, Man of Steel. Snyder returns to helm the sequel, creating what the press release describes as “an entirely new incarnation” of Batman. Production begins in 2014.
The Superman/Batman big-screen team-up was first revealed in July during the San Diego Comic-Con. The convention also revealed that Snyder would return to direct the Man of Steel sequel, and that Henry Cavill would reprise his role as Supes. The identity of the Batman actor was left a mystery, one that’s been the subject of much speculation in the weeks since. We can now put that speculation to rest.
“Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman,” Snyder said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Longtime Affleck collaborator and friend Kevin Smith offered a far less official, and more poignant, statement of his own, via Twitter.
Holy shit… BEN AFFLECK IS THE NEW BATMAN!!! http://t.co/acivqxFl0U Do you know what this means? It means that I’ve seen Batman naked!!!
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) August 23, 2013
Kevin Smith has seen Batman naked. Now relax again and let that one sink in.
