During a lengthy interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ben Affleck talked about Batman v Superman and what drew him to the role of the new Batman in the first place. According to the actor, he initially didn't consider the idea of becoming the iconic superhero - it was just one of those proposals an actor needs to better assess before jumping on board. Zack Snyder's take on the character and the long-term vision of the shared universe convinced him.
According to Ben Affleck, this new Batman is set just approximately in the canon - which we can understand, since Batman v Superman has plenty of scenes taken straight out of The Dark Knight Returns. But he said that the addition of Chris Terrio as a writer for the project was also something he took into account.
The actor said that the Zack Snyder fanboy was complemented perfectly by political thriller writer Terrio. At this point, it’s safe to say that Ben Affleck signed on for the movie for a number of reasons, and not just because he is friends with Terrio.
Speaking about Batman's past, the actor says that there were several incidents that had made him bitter toward the world. In other words, these past events made him even more paranoid - and we can see that in the trailers, when his reasoning for going to war against Superman is more than fragile. Of course, he does hope for the best - but it is safe to say that the events of Man of Steel depicted Superman as a threat rather than a savior.
So this new Batman is one who questions even his own existence - when beings so powerful can work for a better future, is there any point to being a superhero/vigilante? In other words, his hate for Superman isn't just an objective one (the destruction of Metropolis), but also a subjective and subconscious one (the very existence of Superman makes Batman's existence futile).
Affleck also said that, in a way, Batman wages a war against himself - because he can be blamed for the events that shaped him, that transformed Bruce Wayne into a bitter man. What kind of events? Well, it’s obvious that one of them is Robin's death.
As far as the relationship between Batman and Wonder Woman is concerned, the actor said that Bruce Wayne feels inspired by her. Being the greatest detective of all time, Wayne might have found out about the past heroics of the Amazonian princess. So, more than anybody else, he places his trust in her.
Which in turn urges the Batman to find more heroes like her. At this point, can we assume that Batman is the one who assembles the Justice League? The actor did say that he doesn't want to give too much away"¦
What else should be said? In an interview with LA Times, Affleck said that his first scenes from Batman v Superman play out like a combination of Seven and Aliens. We're more than interested!
