Ben Affleck’s Batman has been hailed time and again, at least back when the DC Extended Universe was still standing. In fact, the actor and filmmaker is of the strong belief that Zack Snyder’s Justice League was the “highest-rated” film he’s ever starred in throughout the entirety of his career.
But acting isn’t the only area Affleck is acknowledged for, his filmmaking endeavours have garnered just as much praise too. The Gone Girl star has helmed several famous movies which not only impressed the audience but also got in the good graces of critics. While 2010’s Argo bagged an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, various other projects of his won accolades including the Rebecca Hall-led thriller The Town and Gone Baby Gone starring Morgan Freeman.
At some point in his DC career, Affleck had even come close to directing a Batman film. But the Oscar-winning star has made it crystal clear that he wouldn’t helm a single DCU film even if the studio’s co-head himself asked him to.
Ben Affleck Says He Would Never Direct A DC Film
A number of actors had to bid farewell to their DC superhero characters following the controversial reboot of the DC Universe that James Gunn and Peter Safran overtook. And Ben Affleck‘s departure as Batman too was based on more or less the same. At the same time though, it was assumed that the Good Will Hunting star would still maintain his presence behind the cameras, overlooking aspects of filmmaking and production. However, Affleck wants anything but to helm a DC film.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, upon being asked if Affleck would take over a movie with the superhero franchise’s name on it, the Dawn of Justice star outright rejected the notion. He said that while he has nothing “against” Gunn, he simply isn’t interested in directing a film for the DCU that is currently emerging under his reins.
“I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.”
Yet another actor who doesn’t want to have anything to do with the “new” DCU.
Why Ben Affleck Didn’t Direct the Batman Film That He Wanted to
Reminiscing about portraying Bruce Wayne on the big screens, Affleck, 50, admitted that he had been on the verge of directing a Batman film back then. But the Justice League fiasco held him back from acting on his vision until it eventually snapped him back to reality, thereby making him drop the idea completely.
“I was going to direct a Batman, and [Justice League] made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited.’ That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some sh**ty experiences. It broke my heart.”
While he reached newfound heights after Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which also happens to be his “highest-rated career movie,” the Deep Water star faced unending plights with 2017’s Justice League, DC’s poster-child-turned-nightmare project when Joss Whedon took over in Snyder’s absence.
Affleck’s latest film titled Air, starring him and Matt Damon, is set to release on April 5, 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
