Ben Affleck initially thought he wasn’t right to play Batman, but that didn’t have anything to do with the last time he played a costume-wearing vigilante on the big screen. At first, he thought he was too old for the role.

In an interview with Empire Magazine, Affleck, 42, explained that he didn’t think he was the right age for the part. But then he learned exactly what kind of role director Zach Snyder had in mind for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“Director Zack Snyder] pitched me his concept for this older, more broken, kind of f***ed up Batman,” Affleck told the magazine, notes Vanity Fair. “It was something we haven’t seen.”

Affleck continued, “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 as Superman.”

Snyder told Empire that Superman will present a “philosophical change” and “paradigm shift” for Batman. For Batman, it will come as a shock to find out that there are bigger things to fight for than stopping a bank robber, Snyder said.

The new issue of Empire also included new photos from the set, which Batman-News.com posted on Wednesday.

Affleck last played a superhero in Daredevil, which was a critical and commercial flop. Warner Bros. hopes that his tenure in the Batsuit turns out much better, especially since they want him to co-write and direct himself in a solo Batman movie.

Batman v Superman hits theaters on March 25 and you can check out our trailer breakdown right here.

cover from Empire