One of the biggest pop culture trends right now is the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hype. With Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman being confirmed and Henry Cavill’s casting as Superman being hinted at, many fans are wondering if Ben Affleck will choose to wear the costume of his predecessor, Christian Bale. While many have been worried that this might end up being a copy of Christian Bale’s iconic look, director Zack Snyder has reassured fans that this will not be the case.
“You’ll see a difference,” Snyder said. “We wanted to make sure that we stood out from Christian’s Batman. There are certain elements that we wanted to keep but also make it our own.”
A Closer Look At The Design
If you’ve ever seen Christian Bale’s Batman, you’ll know that he has an impeccable sense of fashion. As a result, many are curious as to how closely Zack Snyder will adhere to Christian Bale’s look in bringing the Dark Knight into the modern era. While there are many similarities in terms of the silhouette and general feel of the outfit, the director has promised that this will not be a carbon copy.
“I think there will be some definite similarities but also some differences,” Snyder said. “You’ll see a very studious Batman, someone who is quite aware of what is fashionable as opposed to someone who is just doing what feels right at the moment.”
The Real Reason Why They Are Doing This
Another important factor to take into consideration is the larger than life nature of the Batman mythos. Since the inception of the modern superhero genre in the 1960s, the character has always been portrayed as a larger than life figure who stands for good against evil. It came as no surprise that Snyder chose to visually represent this aspect of the character for his debut as a director. In fact, the filmmaker has spoken about how much he wanted this to be the case in his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice commentary.
“When you look at the history of Batman, it’s always been characters like this that have defined that character,” Snyder said. “He’s this man who stands for good and he’s always been larger than life, in your face, intimidating. We wanted to capture that and make it more modern.”
While many have interpreted this as a direct contrast to Marvel’s more grounded take on superheroes, Snyder has gone on record to say that this is far from true.
“I think they are different animals altogether,” he said. “I think they both do stand for good but they approach it from a very different angle. I think what we are seeing is that DC is taking a little bit of a different direction and I think audiences will respond well to it.”
Christian Bale’s Inspiration
As previously mentioned, Christian Bale’s Batman is one of the most iconic characters in superhero history. Indeed, the costume he wore in The Dark Knight is widely considered to be one of the most stylish in the history of the genre. Many are curious as to how much inspiration Snyder may have taken from Bale’s iconic look in his interpretation of the character.
“I think the influence of Christian’s Batman was absolutely essential no matter what version of Batman we were making,” Snyder said. “It was a guidebook on how to make the character look perfect, from the suit to the makeup, to the hairstyle, to the mannerisms. It was great to have that constant reference point no matter what we threw at him.”
What About The Joker?
Another character fans are eagerly awaiting the official debut of is Joker. The iconic caped crusader will be pitted against one of the greatest anti-heroes in comic book history in a battle for justice that will unfold in the pages of DC Comics.
While the speculation surrounding Joker’s involvement in the brawl is intriguing, it’s important to remember that the character is extremely unpredictable and it’s anyone’s guess as to what form his involvement in the conflict might take. As a practical matter, it is highly unlikely that we will see Batman and Joker square off on the big screen. Nevertheless, they are such iconic characters that it’s hard to imagine that anyone involved in the filmmaking process will not have at least some influence on the final product. So, while we wait for Zack Snyder to give us our first official look at Joker, it is important to not forget about the great work he has done with the casting of the Caped Crusader’s arch-nemesis, The Joker.