Playing Daredevil apparently didn’t turn off Ben Affleck from wearing the mask of a superhero.
The Oscar winner has agreed to play Batman in director Zack Snyder’s sequel to “Man of Steel,” opening July 17, 2015, Warner Bros. Pictures announced Thursday.
The announcement said they will “create an entirely new incarnation of the character” for the still untitled film that pairs the Caped Crusader with Superman (Henry Cavill) for the first time on the big screen.
“Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman,” Snyder said. “He has the acting chops 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 retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.”
The studio has slated the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.
Snyder set geek hearts fluttering when he paired the Batman and Superman logos onstage last month at Comic Con. Speculation immediately swirled about who would wear the famous cowl, only recently retired by Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” films.
The director of this year’s best picture winner, “Argo,” Affleck has put in more time than most actors in superhero garb. Besides playing the title role in 2003’s “Daredevil,” he donned the Man of Steel’s cape in the 2006 mystery “Hollywoodland” as George Reeves, star of TV’s “Adventures of Superman.”