Two-time Oscar winner
Ben Affleck will play Batman opposite Henry Cavil's Superman in the "Man of Steel" sequel – and the knives are out.
Warner Bros. made the announcement on Thursday, as Affleck will replace Christian Bale who declined to put on the cape again after finishing the most recent, and one of the most successful, trilogies of the DC Comics character,
according to USA Today.
"Man of Steel," the Superman reboot by producer Christopher Nolan, who also did the Batman trilogy, is one of the biggest hits of the summer, raking in $289 million domestically and $649 million worldwide,
according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
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USA Today reported that Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane also will reprise their "Man of Steel" characters in the sequel, expected for a 2015 release to do battle with Disney's "The Avengers: Age of Ultron."
The Batman casting has generated most of the buzz since it was announced at last month's Comic-Con that the Caped Crusader will appear in the "Man of Steel" newest episode.
"Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry's Superman," director Zack Snyder said in a statement. "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 retains the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can't wait to work with him."
Not everyone is in agreement. A story by
CNN's Dorrine Mendoza and Melissa Gray on the network's website Friday cried, "Holy mismatched casting, it's Ben Affleck!"
The Twitter hashtag
#BetterBatmanThanBenAffleck, was the top trender on the website Friday morning, as fans gave their own, often hilarious versions, of better picks for the role.
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It won't be Affleck's first shot at playing a comic book character. He played Marvel's "Daredevil" in 2003. Affleck began dating his future wife Jennifer Garner, who costarred with him in the "Daredevil" a year later,
according to US Weekly.
Affleck won a best movie Oscar this year for coproducing "Argo." In 1998, Affleck
won a best screenplay Oscar with childhood friend and star Matt Damon for "Good Will Hunting."