With Gone Girl opening Friday, leading man and future Batman Ben Affleck has been making the rounds. An appearance on Today, where he addressed his Bat-haters, has been followed by an interview with MTV.

While the actor wished to keep the interview focused on Gone Girl, he did indulge in a question or two about Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which he said is influenced by Frank Miller's landmark miniseries The Dark Knight Returns.

"I do think Zack was heavily influenced by [The Dark Knight Returns]," he told MTV's Josh Horowitz. "Everyone's influenced by that. It's the seminal work. I don't think there's any [Batman movies] that have been made without drawing from that book because it's so good." That influence has already been spotted by fans in the official photos of Affleck's Batman.

"I think if you're smart, you steal from the best," the actor said, joking that he'll start stealing directing tricks from Gone Girl helmer David Fincher.

As game as Affleck was to take a quick detour into Bat-land, no amount of poking or prodding could get Affleck to bust out his Bat-voice. "You gotta pay IMAX money to [hear] that."

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on March 25, 2016.