If someone has an idea of Warner’s Bros. plans of how the DC Cinematic Universe is going to be structured and rolled out, it’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice director Zack Snyder, who laid out some pretty interesting information about the superhero brawl flick that sees The Dark Knight finally going toe-to-toe against the Man of Steel on film.
With the follow-up to 2013’s Man of Steel still a few months away, Empire Magazine looks to tide fans over with their latest issue out in stores now – which features tons of behind-the-scenes images and plenty of information about what kind of Batman we’re going to see in Ben Affleck, how things are going to build up to the Justice League, and of course the long term plans of Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder on bringing the DC Cinematic Universe together with several other collaborators.
According to an interview conducted with the likes of Snyder and Ben Affleck himself on the latest issue, Affleck’s Batman is going to be in his late 40’s and has been Batman for two decades – Which echoes the elder Batman seen in Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel story that is “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns“.
“We’re playing him 45 or 46. He has been Batman for 20 years. All the history is there.”
Other details the interview offered (which can be read at Comic Book Movie) sees the Caped Crusader at a darker place. He’s lost those near and dear to him, and has literally become a hardened and older vigilante who sees Superman’s presence as a threat to humanity that must be dealt with personally, as star and actor Ben Affleck affirmed when he explained how he accepted the role with reservations at first.
“Initially I thought, ‘I’m older, it doesn’t seem like the right sort of fit for me,'” Affleck said. “Then Zack pitched me his concept for this older, more broken, kind of f**ked up Batman. It was something we haven’t seen. We have seen that Batman is willing to cross the line to protect people. That vigilantism has been a part of his character all along, and we are tapping into that mentality when faced by something as potentially as deadly a Superman.”
Snyder also adds that Batfleck is experiencing a “Crisis of Conscience”, and that whom fans decide to side with, be it Superman or Batman, is entirely up to them. “It’s a point of view thing. That is why Dawn of Justice is the full title. What it does is allow us to start this conversation.”
Empire’s feature also elaborates on the long-term plans Warner Bros. has with the DC Cinematic Universe (via Comic Book Movie.). Snyder emphasizes it as one whole structure that was planned from the beginning.
“The first thing we had was the Justice League concept. The other movies, in a way, have to support that. That is our Wonder Woman, our Aquaman. They have their own creative concepts that supports them, but they do serve Justice League in the coming together of those heroes.”
In a sense, that means that Zack Snyder is pretty much overseeing the whole foundation of the DC Cinematic Universe, but is leaving other directors and creative teams to “do their thing” for the rest of the solo movies such as David Ayers’ Suicide Squad. His wife Deborah Snyder, who also serves as producer, calls it a “timeline” where every movie knows where it’s going, while fellow producer Charles Roven went on to describe the process as “The Sandbox” – all the creatives have free will to play with their movies while knowing the borders and what everything leads up to.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25, 2016.