Director Pulls Tarp Off the Batmobile

It seems that a leak yesterday from the set of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice prompted director Zack Snyder to Tweet what he called “a real picture” of the newest version of the Batmobile.

You may recall that Snyder first revealed Batman’s new ride back in May (while simultaneously debuting Ben Affleck‘s version of the Batcostume). The rear end of the vehicle had been teased a bit earlier.

USA Today points out that this Batmobile combines elements from previous movie Batvehicles, such as the sleek cockpit and central chasis of the Michael Keaton/Tim Burton version and the combination tank/monster truck of the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale Tumbler incarnation.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is currently scheduled to hit theaters March 25, 2015.

Ben Affleck Can Handle the Batman Flak

By now everyone is well aware of both the casting — and the blowback — of Ben Affleck to play an older, battle-hardened Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And Affleck — one of the best new-ish directors around — has weathered the criticism and uninformed assumptions like a hero.

He told Entertainment Weekly:

Before I took the role, Warner Bros. gave me a bunch of past reactions to casting and said, ‘Are you sure you want to get into this? This is part and parcel of these movies now. There’s a lot of active fans with a lot of opinions. To me, having been through a certain amount of that, it doesn’t really… Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I wouldn’t have taken the part if I didn’t trust my instincts in terms of the filmmaking. I think Chris Terrio wrote a terrific script. Zack’s [Snyder] a great visual director. And there’s an interesting take. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t think I could do it. I have the benefit of a lot of that understanding. But also, everyone is entitled to their opinion. That’s a big part of this international sport.

So go ahead and do your worst, internet trolls. Batffleck can handle it.

And, for what it’s worth, I am totally behind Affleck on this. I think he can do the role justice.

Batman Does Not Look Amused

This new of Ben Affleck in costume and in character as a grizzled, older Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, should chill the alien blood of that careless Kryptonian killer, Superman (Henry Cavill).

The image is part of a 75th anniversary montage of Batman images created for the DC Comics booth at Comic-Con International: San Diego that shows various versions of the character over the years.

A statement from DC Comics confirmed that the image is from Zack Snyder‘s film:

Yes, as fans have started pointing out, within the dozens of photos and illustrations on the wall is a brand new image of Batman from the upcoming film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The filmmakers wanted to include this new cinematic version of the Dark Knight in the anniversary mosaic so it could be discovered by fans.

Zack Posts Batmobile Photo — and Batman!

Batman vs. Superman director Zack Snyder just posted another image on his Twitter of the new Batmobile — and Batman is standing next to it!

In his accompanying Tweet, Zack wrote:

I shot this with my @Leica_Camera M Monochrom. #Batman #Batmobile #Gotham

If that is indeed Ben Affleck (and not a lighting stand-in) he looks really great in the new Batsuit! I’ve always been a fan of the short-eared look. Bats looks gruff and solid, like an experienced hero. He is going to kick Superman’s ass!

The new Batmobile appears to be a fusion of the brilliant Tim Burton version from 1989’s Batman and the more utilitarian Tumbler from Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight films.

Batman vs. Superman Pushed to 2016

I’m sure we will all need to sit down and catch our collective breath after reading this item: DC Comics and Warner Bros. are actually doing something right in connection with Batman vs. Superman: The movie’s release is being pushed back to May 6, 2016. Yes, fans will have an additional 12 months to obsess over Ben Affleck taking up the bat cowl opposite Henry Cavill’s Kal-El, but the filmmakers will get a chance to take their time.

Not only does this give director Zack Snyder some breathing room to polish his Man of Steel sequel rather than merely crank it out, it also sends  DC biggest guns into direct battle with Marvel Studios, which previously announced it was releasing a yet-to-be revealed movie in May 2016 (Doctor Strange, perhaps?). Marvel has owned May forever, with the Spider-Man flicks, The Avengers, Iron Man… you name it, so this could backfire on DC — but at least they’re trying.

Wonder Woman Actress Defends Herself

Gal Gadot, the actress who would be Wonder Woman, has responded to knee-jerk fandom criticism of her casting in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel sequel, Batman vs. Superman.

Seemingly within moments of the announcement of Gadot winning the role, the bashing started: “not pretty enough,” “too skinny,” “her boobs aren’t big enough” — the backlash against this virtually unknown actress (most recognized for a smallish role in the Fast & Furious franchise) got ugly fast.

Gadot was rather inelegantly interviewed by top Israeli entertainment show GOOD EVENING WITH GAI PINES recently, and got a chance to deflect the mean-spirited bashing:

Q: It’s been said that you’re too skinny for the part. Wonder Woman is large-breasted, is that going to change?

Hmm. I represent the Wonder Woman of the new world. Breasts… anyone can buy for 9,000 shekels and everything is fine. By the way, Wonder Woman is Amazonian, and historically accurate Amazonian women actually had only one breast. So, if I’d really go ‘by the book’… it’d be problematic.

Meet… Wonder Woman!

After many weeks of speculation as to whether Wonder Woman will appear in the Man of Steel sequel alongside Superman and Batman, her presence has been confirmed by Variety, which announced the casting of an actress to play her: Gal Gadot.

Director Zack Snyder, who helmed MoS and returns for Batman vs. Superman, talked to the magazine about casting Gal, who reportedly beat out Olga Kurylenko and Elodie Yung for the role:

“Wonder Woman is arguably one of the most powerful female characters of all time,  and a fan-favorite in the DC Universe. Not only is Gal an amazing actress, but she also has that magical quality that makes her perfect for the role. We look forward to audiences discovering Gal in the first feature-film incarnation of this beloved character.”

The Israeli actress is a virtual unknown, perhaps most recognized for her role as Gisele in some of the Fast & Furious movies. As a definite plus, the F&F movies saw her doing a lot of action scenes.

Dredd: What Is the Penalty for Swiping?

Have you seen the latest poster for the Dredd movie? The folks at Bleeding Cool have, and they point out there’s something a bit… familiar about it.
I’m 99 percent sure this is just a coincidence — there are only so many ways to stage a dramatic pose for movie poster, and if you’re on a rooftop with the sky in the background, you have to make it more interesting than just a starfield — but it is a damn close coincidence.

It’s not anyone really wants to evoke Ben Affleck‘s Daredevil misfire, and surely the-powers-that-be behind Dredd know the geek core of their audience is conversant with other comics-based flicks and thus not even try to sneak one past us…

Still, doesn’t this pose imply that Dredd himself is standing atop one of those mile-high city blocks? And if he is perched way up there, what is he hoping to see by peering over the edge? Maybe he’s staring across the way into another block.

I have high hopes for Dredd, and I’m certaainly not making any accusations or suggesting the marketing team spend some time in the Iso-Cubes, I’m just intrigued by the similarity of thinking. Especially in light of this earlier Dredd poster coincidence.

Poster or no poster, Dredd opens Sept. 21 in the USA.