10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About The DCEU

10. Ben Affleck Was In The Running To Direct Man Of Steel

Some of the franchise's major players came very close to joining the DC universe years earlier than they eventually did: Henry Cavill was in talks to play the title role in Superman Returns, while Gal Gadot almost played a villain character in Man of Steel.

The same is also true for other big actors. After the aforementioned Returns disappointed Warner Bros, they decided to move forward with a Superman reboot, rather than a continuation. This eventually led to Zack Snyder being hired for Man of Steel in October 2010, but before then, several other directors were considered for the job - including future Batman Ben Affleck.

It was producer Christopher Nolan who put together a shortlist of candidates for the studio to peruse, and some major names made the cut. The late Tony Scott (Top Gun), Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans), Duncan Jones (Source Code), Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) and even the director of the upcoming Batman movie, Matt Reeves, were all possibilities. But, for obvious reasons, Affleck's name stands out above the rest.

Had he rebooted Superman in 2013, the DCEU would've had a completely different tone and style than it does today, and on top of that, he probably wouldn't have been cast as the Dark Knight. And who knows - all this change might have resulted in a bit more success for the franchise.