Fighting crime in Gotham City dressed like a bat takes more than just being obscenely wealthy, having cool gadgets and knowing several forms of martial arts. Okay, those are the crucial things one needs, but patience is also necessary. Otherwise, becoming Batman on a nightly basis would getting annoying fast, for this main reason: putting on the Batsuit takes a lot longer than it looks.
Such is the case for the newest Batman actor Ben Affleck in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and while wearing the Batsuit makes him look incredibly cool, what isn’t cool is the time it takes to just put on the costume for scenes. Costume designer Michael Wilkinson is the person behind the Caped Crusader’s latest suit, and during an interview with Fashionista, he talked about Affleck’s costuming process. While his costar Henry Cavill only needs about 15 minutes to put on the new Superman suit, it takes Affleck not only closer to 25 minutes to don the Batsuit, but also with aid from several costumers.
Said Wilkinson:
It’s not the sort of thing that I could just sit in Ben's trailer and he gets into it himself. It’s a six-handed operation.
Although superhero costumes are often hard to put on, the actors playing Batman have had an especially hard time of it on the big screen. Excluding Adam West’s fairly snug costume that he wore for the 1966 Batman TV series movie, the Batman costumes have typically been stiff, bulky and hard to move around in, making it a wonder that he’s able to fight crime at all. In fact, it wasn’t until The Dark Knight that a live-action cinematic Bruce Wayne was able to turn his head while dressed as Batman.
According to Wilkinson, who also designed the costume for Jason Momoa’s Aquaman look, director Zack Snyder wanted to keep this updated aspect of the Batman costume intact for the DCCU, as well as make the entire ensemble more comfortable for Affleck.
It’s a very important thing to Zack that the Batsuit would be comfortable and very flexible, but then would be able to perform in a very natural and forceful way. So a lot of incredible engineering went into the development of the new black cowl.
It will be hard to gauge how Affleck looks in action as Batman until the first Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer hits, but from what we’ve seen so far in the pictures, it at least looks badass. However, when you’re battling the scourge of the underworld, function needs to top appearance.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice will be released in theaters on March 25, 2016.
