Where to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Trivia & production notes

• Johnny Depp and Josh Hartnett were Warner Bros.' preferred choices to play Batman and Superman in an early 2001 pitch for a Batman vs. Superman film that never materialized.
• Director Wolfgang Petersen shelved the Batman vs. Superman project in late 2002 to direct Troy, leading Warner Bros. to develop Catwoman as a replacement.
• Christopher Nolan served as executive producer and advisor on Batman v Superman, and he and Snyder considered tying the film into Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy before deciding against it.
• Screenwriter Chris Terrio based the film's thematic conflict on Italian semiotician Umberto Eco's essay about Superman and the W.H. Auden poem about mythological figures, conceptualizing Batman as Pluto and Superman as Apollo.
• The Joker and the Riddler were written into the script but ultimately cut by Zack Snyder before the final version.
• The title uses the abbreviation 'v' instead of 'vs.' deliberately, with Snyder later revealing he fought studio executives for this subtle distinction to avoid it being a straightforward versus movie.
• Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman, received official credit in this film for the first time in a Batman production as part of a settlement with his heirs.
• Ben Affleck was initially reluctant to play Batman because he didn't think he fit the traditional mold, but Snyder's concept and reassurance about differentiating it from Nolan's trilogy convinced him.
• Affleck's negative experience making Daredevil in 2003 actually motivated him to take the Batman role in this film.
• Wonder Woman's characterization in the film draws from DC's 2011 New 52 reboot, making her a demigoddess and daughter of Zeus rather than the original clay figure brought to life by the gods.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.