Zack Snyder Reveals 2nd Choice for Batman Had Ben Affleck Turned Down Role

The Batman is Zack Snyder’s SnyderVerse could’ve been very different had Ben Affleck turned down the role. Back during the casting for Batman v. Super: Dawn of Justice, names like Josh Brolin, Richard Armitage and Max Martini were linked to the iconic role. However, it appears none of those guys were really in the running.

Snyder recently revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he was eyeing Belgian actor Matthias Schoenaerts for the role if Affleck turned him down.

“I was talking to him a lot about it,” Snyder said. “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?’”

Schoenaerts is only five years younger than Affleck so they could’ve aged him up to fit in with what Snyder was going for. Casting the Belgian would’ve been inspired. He’s relatively unknown to American audiences who may have caught him in Red Sparrow or The Old Guard. Had he gotten cast as Batman, his career would’ve taken off in a significant way. With Robert Pattinson now likely holding onto the role for a while, Schoenaerts likely missed his shot.