Toronto Batman will retire after ‘Suicide Squad’ premieres

May 11, 2015

"Toronto Batman," a.k.a Alex Brovedani, is hanging up his utility belt. The Dark Knight impersonator and busker, who gained local fame through the viral YouTube video, Batman's Night Out, in 2012, has decided to retire following the release of the upcoming comic-book film, Suicide Squad, which is being filmed in Toronto and will reportedly feature a Batman cameo (played by Ben Affleck).

"I always said I would be done when a Batman movie would be filmed here. And I know it's not exactly one, but it's as close to one as we're gonna get," he wrote in a Facebook post. "And with the excitement all around I feel content. But we still got 15 months to go, so there's much more to be done. Thank you and see you soon. #batman #suicidesquad."

Toronto star spotters were treated to a major celebrity coup last week when Ben Affleck made a surprise appearance on the set of the highly anticipated DC-Comics movie. Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnamin and Jai Courtney, the film was shooting in the city’s Financial District when a local photographer snapped a picture of Ben wearing a dark suit and a Bruce Wayne-like hairstyle with grey at the temples. (He sports the same salt-and-pepper dye job in the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer.)

The sighting confirmed reports that the 42-year-old actor will make an appearance in the film as the caped crusader.

So Ben Affleck on the set of #SuicideSquad #BatmanvSuperman pic.twitter.com/FgjMTH6fpx
— Lindsay (@Steele131) April 28, 2015

It’s the second time in less than a month that the father-of-four was seen in Canada. In April, he was spotted buying a soda from a gas station in a small fishing community in Nova Scotia.

Suicide Squad has been filming in various spots throughout Toronto for the past month, including on Lakeshore Boulevard, in the Entertainment District and at Yonge and Dundas Square.

Toronto Batman has announced he will hang up his cape once Suicide Squad premieres. Photo © Instagram

The film's stars have been getting acquainted with the city between takes, sharing photos of their adventures to social media. Will Smith recently enjoyed a night out at Maison Mercer, a club in the city's Entertainment District.

British model Cara Delevingne, who plays Enchantress, watched the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators on April 5, where she enjoyed a cold beer and a slice of pizza and sat in the nosebleeds section with a few pals – just like a true Canuck!

Cara enjoyed her first Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game with a friend

Wolf of Wall Street star Margot, who plays Harley Quinn in the film, has also been exploring the city – she posted a photo on Instagram, which shows her beaming brightly as she strolls past an outdoor graffiti mural, possibly in the West Queen West area (a.k.a. the world's second–hippest neighbourhood, according to Vogue.)

But the easiest A-lister to spot around town has to be Jared Leto, who dyed his hair lime-green for his role as iconic villain The Joker. He's a regular at the city's vegetarian chain Fresh. (His preferred method of transportation? Bicycle!)

Suicide Squad follows a team of supervillains who take on dangerous missions for the United States government. It’s scheduled for released in August 2016.

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