Christian Bale’s sage advice to Ben Affleck as Batman? ‘Make sure you can piss in that suit’

Comic Con's Batman v Superman panel revealed a surprising anecdote

Ben Affleck, who plays Batman, in a still from the trailer of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

So, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck bump into each other in the Batman aisle of a Los Angeles costume shop…

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but a surprise encounter between Hollywood’s incumbent Batman and his successor was revealed at this year’s Comic Con in San Diego.

Affleck was appearing at the huge fan convention to promote Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in which he makes his first appearance as the caped crusader ahead of an upcoming standalone Batman movie which he will both star in and direct.

In conversation with director Zack Snyder – who incidentally declared Affleck “perfect” as “an older, burned out…at the end of his rope” Bruce Wayne – the Argo Oscar-winner, 42, revealed he was given an important piece of advice by Bale, who played the lead in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Ben Affleck stars as Batman in Zak Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (IMDB)

Christian Bale as Batman in a scene from 2012's The Dark Knight Rises (AP)

"Before we started the movie I was getting my kid a Halloween costume. My son is really into Batman," Affleck told the Comic Con audience according to the BBC.

"We went to a costume store in Los Angeles... it was pretty empty. And I was in the aisle and I heard this 'Oi!', and I turned around, and it's Christian Bale!

"And there he and I were, standing in the Batman section."

"I said, 'Do you have any tips?'," an apparently awestruck Affleck asked. Bale’s answer? “Make sure you can piss in that suit."

Affleck hastily added that Bale was also buying a costume for his son: "He doesn't just hang out [in the Batman aisle]".

Batman has previously been played by Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney but fans feel very strongly about who can and can’t play their superhero.

A petition calling for Affleck to removed as Batman/Bruce Wayne claiming he “won’t do the role justice” has been signed by more than 97,000.

During Comic Con Affleck admitted to nerves about taking on the role – especially considering his widely derided last outing as a superhero in 2003 film Daredevil.

"If I thought too hard about the actors who played this part before, I couldn't take the job," he said.