Ben Affleck Explains Batman v Superman And Star Wars 7 Rivalry (Exclusive)

Ben Affleck says the public rivalry between ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ actually began in private before it quickly escalated on social media earlier this year.

The friendly friction between ‘BvS’ director Zack Synder and ‘Star Wars 7’ director JJ Abrams has seen both directors pay tribute to each other’s films quite publicly, with a recent video featuring the Millennium Falcon and a tiny Batmobile being a particular highlight.

“I think it was started because JJ [Abrams] and Colin Anderson, who is a great [camera] operator who always works on my movies, and JJ is always trying to steal, and I’m trying to steal back, sent me a picture of the two of them wearing cheap Batman masks,” explains Affleck in our exclusive ‘Gone Girl' video above.

- Millennium Falcon Video Reveals Batmobile
- What Links Star Wars And Batman v Superman?
- Affleck Responds To Batman Critics

“I showed it to Zack [Snyder], and said ‘this is bulls***, we have to do something’.”

And retaliate they did. The first ‘Star Wars’-baiting photo from the set of ‘BvS’, showing Henry Cavill dressed as a Jedi, was posted on Twitter by Snyder in July earlier this year.

JJ Abrams responded with a photo of his ‘Star Wars 7’ leading man John Boyega dressed as Batman with the caption ‘#BOYEGAMAN”, and there have been numerous back and forths since, culminating recently with the internet-busting Millennium Falcon video last month.

Having two of the most anticipated films exchanging pleasantries in public is quite refreshing in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood, and Affleck thinks whichever film comes comes out on top eventually, it’s the fans who win.

“I think it’s cool. The sort of meta-awareness of these movies, and the two directors going back and forth… I like it, it’s cool.”

‘Gone Girl’ is out this Friday, October 3, while ‘Batman v Superman’ is coming 2016.

- Affleck On Gone Girl Nudity
- David Fincher Was Offered Star Wars 7
- Affleck Surprised By Cost Of Batsuit

Image credit: Twitter/@ZackSynder