While Zack Snyder and co. have been keen to reassure the nerd-rage naysayers that all is progressing exactly according to meticulous clockwork plan with Batman vs. Superman, Jeremy Irons has just revealed that the film doesn't actually have a completed screenplay yet.
"The script isn't entirely finished," the new Alfred admitted to Absolute Radio. "I've read a script, but it's not finalised. We haven't started work yet. It'll be as much a surprise to me as you!"
Why, we might wonder, has Oscar-winning thesp Irons signed on for something still in such a state of flux? We might refer you to Ice Cube's "a lot of zeros" answer to a similar question on our recent live podcast. But Irons also seems keen to work alongside Ben Affleck, so maybe that was part of the appeal. "I think his casting is a wonderful idea," says Irons of Batfleck. "He's a lovely man and an interesting actor. I've only met him once so I'm looking forward to getting to know him."
So the pages aren't quite 100% locked down, but that's pretty usual even at this stage in a film's development, and there's clearly still confidence in what's been completed so far.
"We know the material," Snyder told the LA Times last week, responding to yet another question about all the fanboy casting controversy. "Unfortunately, the fans don’t know the material. I understand the canon. I’m not crazy. I know what these characters need from a mythological standpoint. So, we’re casting according to what’s happening in the script. And we’re hoping that leads to enough originality, enough perspective on what we’re doing that you get something fresh and exciting."
Have a look at the video interview below, and remember that it's a good two years before anyone will see Batman Vs. Superman, with the release date still pencilled in for April 29, 2016. Amy Adams' Lois Lane, Henry Cavill's Superman and Laurence Fishburne's Perry White are all set to return, joining newcomers Affleck, Irons, Jesse Eisenberg (as Lex Luthor), and Gal Gadot (as Wonder Woman).