Ben Affleck is to don the mask of the famed Cape Crusader in the summer of 2015 alongside Henry Cavill – the most recent actor to deliver a silver screen portrayal of Superman – and according to the CEO of Warner Brothers, movie-goers and die-hard fans of the masked vigilante alike can expect to see a much less lively version of the character than the youthful incarnation featured in the more recent film adaptations.
According to a recent article featured on The Verge, Affleck will not be expected to play the role of Batman in his prime. Rather, he will depict The Dark Knight as – as stated by Warner Brother’s CEO, Kevin Tsujihara – “tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for a while.” The film will serve as a bit of a follow-up to this summer’s Superman blockbuster Man of Steel, and will feature much of the original cast – according to Screen Crush -- with such stars as Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne reprising their roles as Lois Lane and Perry White respectively. The reaction to a possible appearance made by Superman’s arch foe, Lex Luthor – to be played by Bryan Cranston of AMC’s hit Breaking Bad -- has been largely positive, however the focus remains heavy on the household name chosen to represent one of the film’s main stars: The Batman of Batman vs. Superman.

Since knowledge of the film’s casting was released to the general public, this bit of news has created quite a stir amongst fans of the franchise, many reacting with outright anger – likening Affleck’s unseen performance to that of George Clooney’s in the horrendous spectacle that was 1997's Batman and Robin, while others are willing to give this undoubtedly unusual casting choice a chance. Tsujihara further comments on this choice – no doubt hoping to put the fans’ fears to bed – stating of the film’s director, Zack Snyder “[that] Ben is perfect for the vision Zack has for that character.” Of the aforementioned anger that has been plastered for weeks on the world wide web, Tsujihara seems nearly moved by it. According to a recent Perez Hilton blog post, the CEO also stated: “... The fact that you saw such a passionate response ... is really kind of a testament to the love that people have for this character.”

Touching or not, the rage thriving within the hearts of Bat-fans everywhere, it seems, has not been quelled. “Tired and weary?” remarks Hilton, “How old do you think Ben Affleck is? ... We are still not really feeling Ben being the Bat ... a tired and weary Batman is the last thing audiences want to see! Here’s hoping we aren’t introduced to the Bat Rascal Scooter in Summer 2015!”

The question remains, will audiences bare witness to another Clooney-esque train wreck? Or will fans be delighted to discover a ‘seasoned’ Batman reminiscent of the retired hero of Frank Miller’s graphic novel, The Dark Knight Returns? As the saying goes, only time will tell.