Ben Affleck will be the fifth actor to portray Batman on the big screen, but the long wait to don the iconic cape and cowl has been worth it, according to the man himself. Affleck revealed that he has always wanted to portray the Caped Crusader - and now he finally has the chance.
Affleck will make his DC Extended Universe debut in the upcoming "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." The Warner Bros. superhero team up will mark the first time that the Dark Knight and Man of Steel have appeared together in a live-action film. But don't waste your time asking Affleck which hero is better.
"Batman's the most interesting superhero in a way because he's the most human, you know," Affleck said in a recent interview. "He's the most like us.... And he can be kind of broken, which is really fascinating to be coupled with these - all this heroic stuff."
The film will see DC's two most iconic characters go toe-to-toe, something casual fans aren't used to seeing.
"It's counter-intuitive," Affleck said of the concept. "Because you think, A, well, they're both good guys and, B, how could Batman really fight Superman since Superman is an alien and way stronger than him, and invulnerable?"
Affleck, 43, is the oldest actor to ever portray Bruce Wayne on the big screen. He'll take on Henry Cavill, 32, who is reprising his role as Superman from 2013's "Man of Steel."
However, Affleck's age works in his favor as director Zack Snyder "wanted a Batman that had been Batman for 20 years." This version of the character is a grizzled, battle-weary Batman who has been in the crime fighting game for a while.
"He had the experience that Batman that we know sort of collectively in pop culture," Snyder said. "And I felt like that character had a chance against Superman because he could outthink him."
"I wanted to be in one of these movies that was ballsy, and that had something to say," Affleck continued. "And I wanted to do a movie that my kids would think was cool.... My son thinks it's cool, at least."
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" will finally hit theaters March 25.
Follow Brandon Katz on Twitter at @Great_Katzby.
