Zack Snyder On First Time Ben Affleck Tried On Batsuit For ‘Batman V Superman’
Director Zack Snyder cast Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming blockbuster Batman v Superman, and now we hear about what happened the first time the actor/director tried on his Batsuit.
When Warner Bros. announced that Ben Affleck would play Batman opposite Henry Cavill’s Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, millions were vehemently opposed. Online petitions asking the studio to reverse their decision didn’t do anything to change the outcome, and now, about five months away from its release, we know that Affleck will indeed play Batman for the foreseeable future.
Snyder has stood by his man and has complimented Affleck’s rendition on more than one occasion. Now the director is sharing what happened when Ben Affleck tried on this new Batsuit, which looks like an armored suit more than spandex.
During the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony held this week for Batman creator Bob Kane, Snyder talked about the first time he saw Affleck in his Batsuit, according to Heroic Hollywood.
“We put him in front of the camera, and I was just having him turn and look around a little bit, looking Batman-ish… and when I looked at Ben he was the perfect personification of the Batman I had in my mind.
“I had a really strong idea about what I wanted to do — I really wanted to do sort of a fabric-based Batman; not what’s become the more normal, armored Batman. That’s how we evolved it.”
Zack Snyder also talked about his wish to cast a more mature version of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego and how Ben Affleck fit that image perfectly.
“I definitely wanted an older Batman. I wanted a war-weary Batman. That’s why, in a lot of ways, Ben was really perfect for me — we kind of aged him a little bit. It worked really great. I’m really excited about the Batman we created.”
In Batman v Superman, Batman comes out of retirement to confront Superman, after the disastrous battle against General Zod (Michael Shannon) at the end of Man of Steel. Snyder was harshly criticized for the violence depicted in the epic Battle of Metropolis, where apparently a Wayne Enterprises building is destroyed, killing several of the billionaire’s employees.
But Zack Snyder defended the Man of Steel ending, saying the reboot intended to show that even superheroes suffer consequences for their actions, Screen Rant reported. This is, in part, what gives life to the storyline we will see in Batman v Superman and how Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill’s iconic characters will come together on the big screen for the first time.
“I was surprised because that’s the thesis of Superman for me, that you can’t just have superheroes knock around and have there be no consequences.”
During his remarks, Zack Snyder also talked about how much Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns has influenced his version of Batman, according to Comic Book Movie. While Snyder dismissed those who believe Batman v Superman is an adaptation of the novel, he hints that there are definitely elements present in this new version.
“The visual elements, there are some that I homage, but I don’t think the movie (is an adaptation),” Snyder said.
As far as the much talked about lack of humor and general darkness surrounding the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice plot, Zack Snyder said not to judge the movie from the first two trailers alone. Fans will see more when they show other trailers and, of course, when the movie finally comes out on March 25, 2016.
[Image via Warner Bros.]
