With all of the promotional interviews that Zack Snyder’s been doing these past few months for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Army of the Dead, it’s a wonder that he’s got any little titbits of info left to reveal about anything.
However, that’s not the case – not yet, at least – as during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the filmmaker has revealed who he planned on turning to as his second choice to play The Dark Knight in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had Ben Affleck ultimately passed on the role.
“I was talking to [Matthias Schoenaerts] a lot about it,” revealed Snyder. “He never got in the suit, but I did do a bunch of mock-ups of him, because Ben was on the fence. And I don’t blame him. Everyone should be on the fence when you’re asked, ‘Do you want to play Batman?”
SEE ALSO: Zack Snyder reveals alternative Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice titles
Belgian actor Schoenaerts was most recently seen in Netflix’s The Old Guard, while his other recent include the likes of The Laundromat, The Mustang, Red Sparrow and The Danish Girl. However, at the time of Affleck’s Batman casting, he was best known for his roles in the Oscar-nominated Belgian crime drama Bullhead and 2012 romantic drama Rust and Bone alongside Marion Cotillard.
Could you see Matthias Schoenaerts as Batman/Bruce Wayne? Let us know your thoughts on this casting that might have been on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice sees Zack Snyder directing a cast that includes returning Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane (Martha Kent), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Harry Lennix (General Swanwick), Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent) and Christina Wren (Carrie Farris) alongside Ben Affleck (Argo) as Batman, Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious 6) as Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) as Aquaman, Ray Fisher as Cyborg, Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) as The Flash, Jesse Eisenberg (Now You See Me) as Lex Luthor, Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) as Alfred Pennyworth, Holly Hunter (The Piano) as Senator Finch, Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine) as Mercy Graves, Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead) as Martha Wayne, Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Watchmen) as Thomas Wayne, Scoot McNairy (Argo) as Wallace Keefe and Callan Mulvey (300: Rise of an Empire) as Anatoli Knyazev.
