Do ‘Batman V Superman’ Execs Want More Batman Less Superman In ‘Dawn Of Justice’?

Although it seems natural to think that the two main heroes would share the spotlight in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, that doesn’t appear to be the case. According to Comic Book, producers have decided to feature more of Ben Affleck’s Batman in the movie over Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Superman.

This idea that producers are leaning more towards a Batman-centric film follows what has been a successful year for Affleck and a somewhat disappointing one for Cavill. In fact, Affleck’s two latest films, Gone Girl and Argo, were met with success in the box office, while Cavill’s most recent movie, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wasn’t exactly the box office hit Warner Bros. expected it to be.

Further, considering the fact that the Batman franchise has a great run with the Dark Knight Trilogy, it makes sense that executives at Warner Bros. would choose to go with a more popular character over Superman, who hasn’t had a great history in the box office.

With that in mind, Slash Film is reporting that Affleck has officially signed on to direct and star in his very own Batman film with Warner Bros. Affleck apparently negotiated the agreement after executives screened Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and were thrilled by his performance in the raw cut.

In addition to offering Affleck the opportunity to write, direct, and star in the next Batman film, the executives also thought Batman v Superman needed more of Batman. The executives apparently wanted to cut down on Superman’s scenes in order to make that happen.

While Affleck is certainly enjoying his expanded role as Batman, this decision might have an impact on future films involving Superman. Despite the fact that Man of Steel is the movie that really kicked things for the DC Comics Cinematic Universe, a sequel to Man of Steel has been delayed indefinitely. If the delay holds, then it might be a while before we seen Superman on the big screen.

However, it is unclear the what extent Zack Snyder and company will be able to bump up Batman’s role in the upcoming film as the primary filming has already concluded. While it’s clear that they can still make some minor adjustments, anything major isn’t likely to happen because it might drastically alter the storyline.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set to premiere in theaters March 25, 2016.

[Image Courtesy: Warner Bros]