Christian Bale ‘Jealous’ That Ben Affleck Gets to Play Batman Now

1 minute read

You’d think that after three movies with the comic-book character that Christian Bale would be ready to let go of playing Batman. Bale thought that too, but he recently admitted he was feeling “jealous” that Ben Affleck was cast as the caped crusader for the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman … I think I should have gotten over it by now,” he told Empire magazine.

Bale says he hasn’t spoken with Affleck about the role, but he has emailed him with advice.

“I’ve got to admit initially, even though I felt that it was the right time to stop, there was always a bit of me going, ‘Oh go on… Let’s do another,'” Bale said elsewhere in the interview. “So when I heard there was someone else doing it, there was a moment where I just stopped and stared into nothing for half an hour.”

[Huffington Post]

Meet All the Actors Who Have Played Batman and Robin

Lewis Wilson And Douglas Croft In 'Batman'
Lewis Wilson was the first actor to play Batman on screen, with Douglas Croft joining him as the first Robin in the 1943 film Batman.Columbia Pictures—Getty Images
MBDNEAD EC016
Robert Lowery was the second to don the guise of Batman, playing the caped crusader in the 15 chapter serial, Batman and Robin in 1949.Everett
BATMAN AND ROBIN
Johnny Duncan played Robin to Lowery's Batman in the 1949 Batman and Robin serial.Columbia
Adam West in Batman
Adam West played the role of masked crime fighter for three seasons on the 1960s television series Batman.Mondadori—Getty Images
Batman And Robin
Burt Ward joined Adam West as his Robin for the Batman television series.Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
MCDBARE EC003
Michael Keaton played Batman in the 1992 film Batman Returns.Warner Bros.
M2DBAFO EC002
Following Keaton three years later, Val Kilmer portrayed the billionaire playboy in 1995's Batman Forever.Warner Bros.
Chris O'Donnell played Robin for two different Batmen. He was Val Kilmer's Robin in 1995 (pictured above) and then joined George Clooney in 1997 for the widely panned Batman & Robin.Warner Bros.
MSDBAAN EC024
Hard to remember, but George Clooney once took a turn as Batman, back in the 1997--before the Oscars knew his name so well.Warner Bros.
MCDDAKN EC079
Christian Bale donned the mask for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.Ron Phillips—Warner Bros
Ben Affleck is the latest to join the ranks of actors who have portrayed the caped crusader, in the upcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie.DCComics.com
Lego Batman
Will Arnett voices Bruce Wayne/Batman in The Lego Batman Movie, a 3D-animated take on the DC superhero and a spin-off of 2014's The Lego Movie.Warner Bros.

More Must-Reads from TIME

Write to Nolan Feeney at nolan.feeney@time.com