What would really happen if Batman took on Superman? We’re going to find out at last
Two DC superheroes face off in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. We talk to director Zack Snyder and leading men Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill
Comic-book fans have long debated who would win in an all-out battle between two of the superhero realm’s most formidable icons, Batman and Superman. In director Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, released in Hong Kong on March 24, that heavyweight title bout – which has been depicted numerous times in the comics, most famously in Frank Miller’s classic 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns – will finally play out on the big screen.
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A follow-up to Snyder’s 2013 Man of Steel, the superhero mash-up sees a vengeful Batman (Ben Affleck) taking on Superman (Henry Cavill), whom he views as a threat to humankind, even as a mutual foe emerges in the form of psychopathic tech genius Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Budgeted at US$250 million, Batman v Superman represents a critical gambit in Warner Bros’ bid to expand its DC Comics cinematic universe, teeing up a long-awaited film featuring Wonder Woman – introduced here by Gal Gadot in a breakout supporting role – as well as other standalone superhero films and a larger team-up Justice League film that will unite all of DC’s marquee heroes, as in Marvel’s The Avengers.
Affleck, 43, Cavill, 32, and Snyder, 50, recently answered questions about the high stakes behind one of the year’s most highly anticipated comic-book epics.
There’s been an incredible amount of scrutiny of this film. From the start, fans have been picking apart every nugget of news, every trailer, every rumour. What does it feel like to be on the other side of that? Is it possible to tune it out?
Snyder: The tweets, comments, articles, blogs – it’s insanity. I tune it out to the extent that, when it’s really dumb, then we go, “OK, someone stomp this [rumour] because it’s stupid.” But mostly I just go, “Thank God they’re talking about the movie.” The fact that they care enough to get online and either rage or praise – that’s just cool for the culture, for the fans.
Affleck: Nobody tweeted about Casablanca, and look at how they did. [Laughs] From directing movies myself, at this point I always feel too enmeshed with it, where I get this panicked sense of like, “Is it good? It’s horrible, right? It’s going to bomb.” But I have a little more sense of remove from this. I feel relaxed and I’m proud of the movie and excited for people to see it. It’s a much nicer feeling. I’m so glad I’m not Zack.
