Ben Affleck’s Batman Will Be ‘Tired And Weary,’ Says Warner Bros. Chief
Variety Dave McNary
The new Dark Knight won’t be bright and light.
Ben Affleck’s Batman will be “tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for awhile,” according to Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara.
The exec offered the character description Thursday at an investor gathering, officially titled the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference.
Affleck was announced Aug. 22 as the studio’s selection for Batman opposite Henry Cavill’s Superman character in the untitled “Man of Steel” sequel, due out in 2015 with Zack Snyder directing.
Though the choice of Affleck has troubled some Batman fans, Tsujihara said he was “perfect” for the film that Zack Snyder is directing. “We think it’s going to be huge,” he added.
Tsujihara acknowledged the “passionate” responses from the blogosphere about the casting of Affleck. He also said that the studio “could not be happier” about the performance of “Man of Steel,” which has grossed $660 million in worldwide box office in setting the stage for the new project.
“We think it’s the perfect springboard for Batman and Superman,” he added. “Ben is perfect for the vision Zack has for that character. The fact that you saw such a passionate response in the blogosphere is really kind of a testament to the love that people have for this character.”
Tsujihara also indicated that there will be “a lot of announcements” coming out the DC Comics unit of Warner Bros., noting that currently Warner Bros. has three DC-based animated TV shows.