Christian Bale was pretty shocked when he heard that Ben Affleck was taking over the role of Batman. The British star decided to end his tenure as the caped crusader after 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, but was stunned – and a little jealous – when he learned Ben had been cast in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. "When I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour," Christian told Empire magazine.
© Photo: Getty Images"But I'm 40. The fact that I'm jealous of someone else playing Batman… I think I should have gotten over it by now." Christian put those initial feelings to one side, and revealed he has since reached out to the American actor. "I haven't spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way," he said. "I would imagine that he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did."
© Photo: Getty ImagesBen is currently filming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in Detroit, alongside Henry Cavill as Superman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Christian, meanwhile, is next set to appear in the biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, scheduled for release on 12 December. He stars as Moses in the film, opposite a cast that includes Aaron Paul, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley and Sigourney Weaver.
