After the box office success of Man of Steel, Warner Bros. execs decided to use Henry Cavill’s Superman as a springboard to kickstart a large-scale shared movie universe centered around DC Comics characters, similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Man of Steel’s Zack Snyder was recruited to helm the franchise’s second installment, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the first live-action movie to feature both Batman and Superman.
The movie introduced Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, as well as several other Justice League members, and for better or worse, it was a huge undertaking.
Batman V Superman Could’ve Been Made A Decade Earlier
As a poster featured in I Am Legend’s post-apocalyptic wasteland can attest to, Warner Bros. was planning a Batman v Superman movie long before 2016. Before rebooting Superman and Batman’s movie franchises separately with Superman Returns and Batman Begins, Warner Bros. tapped Akiva Goldsman to write a Batman v Superman script.
Wolfgang Petersen was set to direct, and executives wanted to cast Josh Hartnett as Superman and Christian Bale as Batman. Interestingly, this version of BvS was said to be even darker than the one Zack Snyder eventually made.
Ben Affleck Almost Swore Off Comic Book Movies After Daredevil’s Failure
Ben Affleck has always been a huge Batman fan. According to Kevin Smith, he even had a Batcave entrance built in his house. One of the reasons he took the role of Matt Murdock is 2003’s Daredevil is that he didn’t think he’d ever get to play Batman, so it was like a consolation prize.
After the failure of Daredevil, Affleck swore off appearing in comic book movies. However, he had a change of heart when he was offered the role of Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman.
Warner Bros. Execs Considered Tying BvS To The Dark Knight Trilogy
When Batman v Superman was first in development, some executives at Warner Bros. wanted to link the movie to The Dark Knight trilogy, with Christian Bale reprising his role as Bruce Wayne.
But Zack Snyder was so adamant to keep BvS unconnected from The Dark Knight movies that he wanted to cast Bale as a different DC character, just to make it clear to audiences that BvS had no relation to Bale’s Batman movies.
Jesse Eisenberg Was Initially Going To Play Jimmy Olsen
After Man of Steel became the first Superman movie not to feature an appearance by Clark Kent’s pal Jimmy Olsen, the character was set to show up in Batman v Superman. Jesse Eisenberg was cast to play Jimmy in a cameo role before he was cast as Lex Luthor.
Prior to Eisenberg’s casting as Lex, the producers considered casting Bradley Cooper, Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jean Dujardin, Tom Hanks, and Joaquin Phoenix in the role. Of course, Phoenix would go on to win an Oscar for playing Arthur Fleck in 2019’s non-DCEU Joker movie.
Studio Executives Gave BvS A Standing Ovation
At the end of a studio screening of a rough cut of Batman v Superman, Warner Bros. executives gave the movie a standing ovation. They were so impressed with Ben Affleck’s Batman that they decided to raise the number of proposed solo movies from one to three.
Batman’s Voice Modulator Was Suggested By Kevin Smith
Ever since Michael Keaton realized it would be hard for Bruce Wayne to disguise himself under a mask without also changing his voice, every Batman actor has had a “Batman voice.” Ben Affleck’s Batman voice comes from a voice modulator fitted in his suit.
This was suggested by Affleck’s friend and noted comic book enthusiast Kevin Smith, who felt that Affleck’s natural speaking voice was too high-pitched for the Dark Knight.
Ben Affleck Is The Tallest Actor To Play Batman
In the comics, Bruce Wayne’s height is billed at 6’2”. At 6’2¾”, Ben Affleck is the tallest actor yet to take on the role of Batman, and the only one who’s taller than the character himself is supposed to be.
Warner Bros. Execs Advised Ben Affleck Not To Look At Online Comments About His Casting
After previous Batman movie castings like Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne and Heath Ledger as the Joker were initially met with backlash from fans, Warner Bros. executives advised Ben Affleck not to look at online comments about his casting.
He told Jimmy Fallon that, despite these warnings, he decided to check them out anyway. The first comment read, “Affleck as Batman? NOOOOO!!!,” and he went offline immediately.
Jared Leto’s Joker Was Supposed To Appear
Originally, Batman v Superman was going to feature an appearance by Jared Leto’s Joker ahead of his starring role in Suicide Squad later that summer. The Riddler was also due to appear to round out the DCEU’s Gotham City.
However, Zack Snyder decided against featuring the Joker and the Riddler, feeling that it would distract from the main characters. In its final form, BvS has plenty of Easter eggs that distract from the plot at hand, so two more would’ve evoked fans’ fury even more.
Jon Hamm And Josh Brolin Were Offered The Role Of Batman
Before Ben Affleck was cast to play Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman, the role was offered to fellow A-list hunks Jon Hamm and Josh Brolin.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan said that he discussed an adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns with Zack Snyder on the set of Watchmen, and Snyder said that he’d cast Morgan as Batman if such a movie got made. Morgan wasn’t offered the part in this movie, but he does play Thomas Wayne in the flashback prologue.