TL; DR:
Christian Bale não está no filme como ele queria deixar o papel após o terceiro filme do Cavaleiro das Trevas. Ben Affleck foi a escolha para substituí-lo.
Long Answer:
Christian Bale certamente disse que estava com ciúmes, mas isso não indica que ele mesmo queria o papel. Para citar EUA hoje :The former Batman ended his tenure as the masked vigilante with The Dark Knight Rises, but that didn’t stop him from entertaining the idea of going back to the role, he told Empire Magazine (via Comic Book Movie). So even though he knew it was coming, he was still shocked when he heard Ben Affleck had been cast as Batman in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
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.’ 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.
But Christian Bale got over his existential crisis and even offered a couple pointers to Ben Affleck.
But I’m 40. The fact that I’m jealous of someone else playing Batman…I think I should have gotten over it by now. I haven’t spoken with Ben, but I emailed him offering bits of advice that I learned the hard way. I would imagine he is doing everything he can to avoid anything that I did.
Em outras palavras, ele parou porque sentiu que era o momento certo para parar. Não significava que ele ainda não tivesse um pouco de inveja ao ouvir quem o havia substituído - mas no final, a decisão de parar foi dele. Ele deixou o papel por sua própria vontade.
Por que Ben Affleck foi escolhido para substituí-lo. De Zack Snyder , o diretor do filme:
Em última análise, essa decisão dividiu os fãs e só o tempo dirá quão digna a escolha ele é como o novo Batman.Ben provides an interesting counter-balance to Henry’s Superman. 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.
Editar:
Para adicionar mais informações sobre por que Christian Bale saiu, isso é do ScreenRant :
“We were incredibly fortunate to get to make three. That’s enough. Let’s not get greedy…Chris always said he wanted to make it one film at a time. And we ended up sitting there looking at each other, saying ‘We’re about to make the third.’ We never really knew if we were going to get to be there, but if that was how it was going to be, this was where it should end as well.”
Mais tarde, no mesmo artigo, ele é questionado sobre o que ele sabe sobre o próximo filme do Batman. Ele respondeu:
“I have no information, no knowledge about anything. I’ve literally not had a conversation with a living soul. I understand that they may be making a Justice League movie, that’s it… It’s a torch that should be handed from one actor to another. So I enjoy looking forward to what somebody else will come up with.”