Upcoming Film: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Director: Zack Snyder (2016) Alternative Film: Batman Vs Superman. Director: Wolfgang Petersen DC are kicking off their cinematic universe next year, using Man Of Steel as the foundation for a series of linked-superhero movies on which at least two Justice League movies will be based. Ben Affleck will be taking on the role of Batman to battle Superman, with the first cinematic versions of Wonder Woman and Aquaman joining the mix. But this isn't the first attempt to bring these two iconic characters together on screen. A Batman Vs Superman film was originally touted for 2004, with Jude Law (again) or Josh Hartnett taking on the role of a post-Lois Lane Divorce Superman. Colin Farrell and a pre-Dark Knight trilogy Christian Bale were considered for Batman who would also have been going through a similar emotional crisis; Alfred, Commissioner Gordon and Dick Grayson would be dead and his new lover would have been murdered by the Joker. Wolfgang Petersen was brought in to to direct the script by Se7enwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. The reason for the fight between these two superheroes was less defined, though Lex Luthor would have apparently masterminded the whole thing. Warner Bros pulled the project and Christian Bale went on to become cinema's greatest interpretation of Batman in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.