Zack Snyder recently shared his thoughts about casting Ben Affleck as Batman on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice’ director explained how his idea of a big-sized Batman led to choosing the actor:
“That’s the reason why I wanted Affleck, because, to me, Batman’s a big dude. Affleck’s 6’4”, you know? He’s a legit big dude. And the shoes, the boots are like two inches, so he’s literally almost 6’6” in the costume.”
He Chose Affleck Over Christian Bale
Snyder also talked about how Ben Affleck’s Batman compares to Christian Bale’s performance in the role. He appreciated the physical presence the ‘Dazed And Confused’ actor brought to the character:
“You know, he’s just standing there, and you’re like, ‘Holy sh*t.’ Like, dude… the chin is so insane, in that cowl. I mean, look at him… he’s legitimately… that’s Batman to me.”
Bale played the DC character in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ series. When discussing him as Batman, Snyder noted:
“He’s a great Batman, but he’s still, like, you know, 5’10”.”
Snyder Prefers Bulkier Batman
The director mentioned a specific example from ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ comic book to emphasize his point about the superhero’s size:
“If you look at ‘Dark Knight Returns,’ there’s a line where he’s trying to hold someone’s gun, and his finger can’t get in the trigger guard because he’s so big. I like things like that.”
He explained:
“He has this genetic gift of just being this big f**king dude. And, other than that, his parents were murdered in front of him, and he’s also a billionaire… You want it to not just be one of those things, right? It needs to be all of them in order for him to do what he can do.”
Will The Next Batman Fit The Director’s Vision?
Affleck last appeared as Batman in 2023’s ‘The Flash.’ With the DC Universe currently undergoing a reboot with James Gunn and Peter Safran at the helm, there’s curiosity about who will next play Batman.
No actor has been officially chosen yet, but fans have their own ideas, including suggestions for Alan Ritchson to take on the role. Despite his love for the character, Ritchson is not sure about playing him due to his age.
