Batman flies again! Before he even hits the big screen in his first turn, Ben Affleck has already agreed to reprise the role of Batman in a second film.
The actor, 42, will appear as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the upcoming Justice League Part One movie, Warner Bros. announced on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Affleck will star as the superhero after debuting in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, due out in March 2016.
His Batman v Superman costars Amy Adams and Henry Cavill will also reprise their roles of Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman, respectively, in the Justice League film, set to premiere in 2017, according to Warner Bros.
While even a trailer for the first film has yet to see the light of day, Affleck has famously endured considerable backlash to his casting as the Caped Crusader. Fans and critics alike took to social media last August when it was announced that the Gone Girl actor booked the part, taking on a character previously brought to life by Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, and Christian Bale.
“I’m a big boy,” he told Jimmy Fallon last September when the initial criticism came. “They said just don’t use the Internet for a couple of days… I handle s–t. I’m very tough. I saw the announcement, I look down on the first comment…the first one just goes, ‘Nooooooooo!'”
Affleck clearly hasn’t been deterred by the naysayers, putting on 30 pounds of muscle to play the hunky hero, and ignoring the critics to sign on for round two.
