As beloved as the original Dark Knight trilogy was, it's important for fans to remember that Christian Bale's Batman would have been nothing without the high-tech gear that made him so formidable against his revved up foes like the Joker and Bane. That's why it seems so outrageous that no one bothered to inform Morgan Freeman, who played The Dark Knight's genius weapons inventor Lucius Fox, about the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming sequel to this summer's "Man of Steel."
"This is the first I am hearing of it," Freeman said in an interview with USA Today on Monday Morning. "My first reactions are 'Wow' and 'Good luck.'"
Freeman seemed surprise by the inclusion of the caped crusader in any upcoming film. After all, the Dark Knight trilogy just ended in 2012 with the culmination of "The Dark Knight Rises."
"After the trilogy, I thought that no one would try it again for a few years more to let this whole thing die down," said Freeman. "Because it's still there. So I don't know, I hope Ben does well."
"Man of Steel" director Zach Snyder announced Affleck as the next to put on the cowl of Batman on Thursday. The film is set for a release of July 17 2015 and will see the two greatest DC comics super heroes on the silver screen together for the first time ever.
"[Affleck] has the acting chop[s 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 retains the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne," Snyder said in a statement.
Other news out of the "Man of Steel 2" casting rumor mill is Breaking Bad Star Bryan Cranston taking on the role of villainous Lex Luthor. No official announcement has been made but the studio is likely waiting for Cranston's other iconic role as Walter White in AMC's hit drama to end on September 29.
When asked if Freeman would be interested in reprising his role as Lucius Fox in the upcoming film he had this to say: "If the new movie does have a Lucius Fox I don't think it's going to be me," said Freeman. "It doesn't seem to work to mix characters in the movies. If you are going to change the lead character, you're probably going to change all the characters."
