Ben Affleck says his Batman will be 'more broken'

If you thought there was no way Batman could be played any darker than Christian Bale's portrayal in the recent films about the comic book hero directed by Christopher Nolan, guess again.

In the latest issue of Empire magazine, Ben Affleck gave some insight on how he will be playing The Dark Knight in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."

According to the actor, the film's director Zack Snyder pitched him with the idea that Batman is "older, more broken, kind of f---ed up."

In the Empire story, which Vanity Fair has pulled quotes from, Affleck said that this Batman is in "a crisis of conscience" having spent two decades fighting crime in Gotham and has hit middle age. And as the Comic-Con trailer hinted at, he may be mourning the loss of his sidekick, Robin.

"It was something we haven't seen," Affleck said in the story. "We have seen that Batman is willing to cross the line to protect people. That vigilantism has been a part of his character all along, and we are tapping into that mentality when faced by something as potentially as deadly as Superman."

The Comic Con trailer had hints as to why Batman wants to take on Superman. It seems to stem from an incident that happened in the previous Superman movie, "Man of Steel," also directed by Snyder.

In the film's conclusion, buildings in Metropolis are destroyed, including Wayne Tower, a building owned by Bruce Wayne (aka Batman).

The showdown between the two comic legends will happen in movie theaters March 2016.