Holy backlash , Batman ! Warner Bros. announced Thursday that Ben Affleck will play Batman in the sequel to the Superman movie `` Man of Steel . '' Rumors about who 'll star as the Caped Crusader in the yet-to-be-named film have been swirling ever since `` Man of Steel '' director Zack Snyder announced at Comic-Con last month that the two superheroes would appear together in the sequel -- their first pairing on the big screen . Affleck 's name was n't even on The Hollywood Reporter 's list of possible Batmans two weeks ago , when it speculated Ryan Gosling or Josh Brolin were likely candidates . Needless to say , the Internet went nuts -- and not in a good way . Are the worries justified ? Affleck 's stint as Daredevil was a major flop . Plus , he 's just getting his movie street cred back from that other disaster , `` Gigli . '' But he has numerous awards to his name and received critical raves for his role as Superman star George Reeves in `` Hollywoodland . '' Affleck will star opposite British actor Henry Cavill , who Warner Bros. said will reprise his role as Clark Kent and Superman . Affleck as Batman ? 'No , nyet , never ! ' Snyder 's reimagining of Superman in `` Man of Steel '' broke the record for the biggest June opening when it appeared in theaters this year , taking in $ 125.1 million in its first weekend . `` It 's beyond mythological to have Superman and our new Batman facing off , since they are the greatest superheroes in the world , '' Snyder said at Comic-Con . Amy Adams , Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane also return for the new film , Warner Bros. said . Christian Bale , who starred as Batman in three film installments of `` The Dark Knight , '' told CNN partner Entertainment Weekly last month that he would n't be starring in a fourth . `` Dark Knight '' director Christopher Nolan also said he was n't opting for a fourth movie in the franchise , the magazine said . Nolan will , however , have a hand in the upcoming Superman-Batman film -- he 's serving as one of the executive producers , Warner Bros. said . Warner Bros. and DC Comics , the publisher of `` Superman '' titles , are both units of Time Warner , CNN 's parent company . Ben Affleck 's middle name and other interesting facts about the actor , filmmaker and activist .
It will be the sequel to 2014 's ` ` Man of Steel '' blockbuster . The studio plans a summer 2016 release for the film . Internet immediately follows , and not in a good way .