TOP PICK: Ben Affleck is Batman for 'Man of Steel' Sequel - Confirmed!

Ben Affleck has officially been chosen to play Batman in the upcoming Man of Steel sequel!

The 41-year-old actor will star alongside Henry Cavill in the movie that will bring Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen!

“Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman,” director Zack Snyder said in a statement (via Hypable). “He has the acting chops to create a layered portrayal of a man who is older and wiser than Clark Kent and bears the scars of a seasoned crime fighter, but retain the charm that the world sees in billionaire Bruce Wayne. I can’t wait to work with him.”

The film is set to go into production in 2014 with a release date of July 17, 2015. Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, and Diane Lane are all confirmed to return for the film.

WHAT DO YOU THINK of Ben Affleck playing Batman?

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TOP PICK: 'Monsters University' and 'World War Z' have scary good Friday; 'Man of Steel' sinks

The question heading into this frame at the box office was whether World War Z would earn over $50 million, joining Monsters University and Man of Steel and making this the first weekend ever in which three films earned over $50 million. Well, World War Z will earn over $50 million — but due to Man of Steel‘s unexpectedly huge dropoff, that box office record won’t be reached.

Monsters University topped the box office on Friday with a monstrous $30.5 million. That’s better than the $24.6 million that Brave started with en route to a $66.3 million debut, but lower than the $41.1 million that Toy Story 3 earned on Friday on the way to a $110.3 million debut. Monsters University will likely finish between those two films, perhaps with about $75-80 million in its first three days.

In second place, Brad Pitt vehicle World War Z broke out with a terrific $25 million. The zombie thriller, which reportedly cost over $200 million to produce (Paramount is admitting to $190 million), may earn about $63 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period. For a movie whose production was famously troubled, World War Z marks a major marketing win for Paramount. It will easily become the biggest opening of Brad Pitt’s career.

Man of Steel plummeted 71 percent from its first Friday to $12.7 million. The Superman reboot may finish in third place with about $41 million in its sophomore frame, which would give it a $210 million total — more than Superman Returns‘ entire $200 million domestic finish. That said, it looks like Man of Steel may have to work harder than initially expected to reach $300 million, which seemed all but assured after its robust $128.7 million debut last weekend.

This is the End and Now You See Me rounded out the Top 5 with $4.1 million and $2.5 million, respectively. This is the End may score about $13 million, which would mark an excellent drop of just 40 percent and give it nearly $58 million total. Now You See Me, meanwhile, may take in about $8 million in its fourth weekend, giving it an excellent $94 million cume.

1. Monsters University – $30.5 million
2. World War Z – $25 million
3. Man of Steel – $12.7 million
4. This is the End – $4.1 million
5. Now You See Me – $2.5 million

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TOP PICK: 5 Things to Know About Henry Cavill (the New 'Man of Steel')

It's no secret that 30-year-old British actor Henry Cavill is the newest Superman in this summer's blockbuster Man of Steel. You may even recognize him from films like The Count of Monte Cristo and the Showtime series The Tudors, but here are a few things that you might not know about the newest super-man.

5. Henry is "The Most Unlucky Man in Hollywood"
Henry was always destined to be a leading man, but back in 2005 Empire Magazine called him "the most unlucky man in Hollywood." The British magazine gave him this label because of his many chances to almost play marquee-type leading roles. Henry was Stephenie Meyer's first choice to play heartthrob and bloodsucker Edward Cullen in the Twilight series. But by the time the series was set to film, he was dropped because he was too old to play a 17-year-old. Henry was also a strong contender for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale. He completed a final screen test for the film, but in this case producers believed he was too young for the role, which went to Daniel Craig. Although Brandon Routh won the role a few years ago as Superman in Superman Returns, Henry auditioned and was heavily considered for what would have been his breakout role.

4. Henry is Continuing the British Invasion
Henry is the first non-American actor to play Superman. He is continuing the trend of British actors playing classic American superheroes. He now is the third British actor to play the lead role in the reboot of an American comic film, following in the footsteps of Christian Bale as Batman and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.

3. Henry Loves Comics
Other than loving video games, Henry is a huge comic book fan. Apparently, he did not get to enjoy comics as a boy because he attended boarding school in England. He has said in the past that his favorite Superman stories were "Death Of Superman," "Return Of Superman," "Superman: Red Son" and "Earth-One." He has also mentioned he enjoyed by Superman's "New Krypton" by Geoff Johns.

2. What Henry Did to Land the Role of the Man of Steel
This week Henry told Good Morning America that he had to undergo a "laugh test" in the audition process for Man of Steel. To pass this test, a group of people had to not laugh at him and take him seriously while he was wearing Christopher Reeve's original Superman's cape. Henry explained, "it was mortifying."

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