The fundraiser came about after Batman v Superman director Zack Snyder contacted the Michigan-based organization, which is located near where the movie was filmed. He wanted to do something to help, in light of the fact that North American bats are dying in record numbers. He and the organization were able to come up with an ideal partnership: Snyder, along with his cast and crew, used much of the set to create 110 bat houses for the Organization for Bat Conservation to sell on eBay.
Forty-one of the bat houses will be up for auction, and the remaining 69 will be available with the site’s “buy it now” option, according to Danielle Todd, the organization’s communications director, in an email to Digital Trends. Although it remains to be seen how high bidding will go, the minimum bid starts at just $0.99. Along with the item, winners will get a certificate of authenticity, not to mention the knowledge that their money has contributed to a good cause.
“All proceeds from the auction and sale go to the care and feeding of our Animal Ambassadors — 200 live bats that help teach people that bats are important and worth protecting,” said Todd.
While building the bat houses was labor intensive — each one took several hours to make — the cast and crew took away many positive memories. “Amy Adams was excited to spend time with her family helping bats,” said Todd. “Zack and Debbie Snyder loved building the bat houses and watching their kids paint them. The crew were so happy to see that so much of the movie set was repurposed to help bats.”
The start of the auction coincides with the film’s release, which makes it double as a good promotional opportunity in addition to charitable effort. The Organization for Bat Conservation tweeted out news of the auction on March 4, highlighting the opportunity to bid on “a piece of movie history.”
Who’s excited for @BatmanvSuperman? At the end of March, you’ll have a chance to take home a piece of movie history! https://t.co/EcBch5qhfz
— Save the Bats (@BatConservation) March 4, 2016
Watch Snyder and actors Ben Affleck and Adams discuss bat conservation in an earlier video for the organization above.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25.
Updated 3/8/16 by Stephanie Topacio Long: This article has been updated to include information from an email interview with Danielle Todd, communications director at the Organization for Bat Conservation.
