Zack Snyder called Ben Affleck the "best Batman ever".

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

The 52-year-old director - who cast Affleck as Bruce Wayne for 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' and 'Justice League' - has paid tribute to the 46-year-old actor who confirmed he was stepping down as The Caped Crusader last month and thanked his pal for "blessing him" with his "glorious chin and amazing heart".

Sharing a picture of Affleck as the Gotham City Saviour on Twitter, he wrote: "There was a time above ... a time before ... there were perfect things... diamond absolutes. But things fall... things on earth.

"And what falls... is fallen. In the dream, it took me to the light. A beautiful lie... Best Batman ever. Thank you my friend for blessing me with that f**king glorious chin and an amazing heart. (sic)"

The 'Gone Girl' star will step down as the hero for Matt Reeves' June 2021 standalone movie 'The Batman', which will focus on a younger version of the comic book legend, a project that Affleck had initially been attached to both star in and direct.

It has not yet been announced who will be taking control of the Bat Cave from Affleck, but Reeves has teased that the plot will be more of a detective-driven story with a full "rogues gallery".

The 'War for the Planet of the Apes' filmmaker said: "It's very much a point of view-driven, noir Batman tale. It's told very squarely on his shoulders, and I hope it's going to be a story that will be thrilling but also emotional. It's more Batman in his detective mode than we've seen in the films. The comics have a history of that. He's supposed to be the world's greatest detective, and that's not necessarily been a part of what the movies have been.

"I'd love this to be one where when we go on that journey of tracking down the criminals and trying to solve a crime, it's going to allow his character to have an arc so that he can go through a transformation."