“I’m not interested in that”: Ben Affleck Proves His Loyalty to Zack Snyder, Refuses to Direct Batman Movie for James Gunn

“I’m not interested in that”: Ben Affleck Proves His Loyalty to Zack Snyder, Refuses to Direct Batman Movie for James Gunn
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Brotherhood does exist in Hollywood as Ben Affleck proved recently by owing his loyalty to visionary director Zack Snyder. The veteran actor, who has been the face of Batman since 2016, sided alongside the 300 director and refused to direct a DC movie under James Gunn’s reign.

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After what seemed to be a tumultuous time over at the DC Studios, many notable actors and directors were removed from the franchise after James Gunn’s takeover. It seems that the actors do have a grudge against these changes in the DCU as the people mourn the departure of Henry Cavill, Patty Jenkins, Zack Snyder, and potentially…Ben Affleck.

Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Ben Affleck as Batman in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Ben Affleck Does Not Want To Direct For The “Gunn DC”

After Henry Cavill’s humiliating departure from the DCU, the fans rallied in support of the actor. It was later revealed that director Patty Jenkins also had a heated debate with the higher-ups at the DC Studios which allegedly caused her to walk out from the sets of Wonder Woman 3.

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Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder on the sets of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Ben Affleck and Zack Snyder on the sets of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).

Also read: “It’s the one choice I wish I hadn’t made”: David Ayer Regrets Making Ben Affleck Extremely Violent in Suicide Squad That Led to Jared Leto’s Joker Getting Weird Tattoos

With multiple lineups revealed and a future for the upcoming DCU planned, fans noticed the absence of Ben Affleck’s Batman in James Gunn’s future. It seems that Affleck is also getting replaced since there has been no confirmed news about his ties with the current DCU except rumors and hearsay. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Gone Girl actor admitted that he would not direct a movie “for the Gunn DC” if push came to shove.

When the interviewer asked Affleck whether he would direct a DC movie if they came to him with a request, here’s what the Pearl Harbor actor had to say.

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“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.”

Not only this, but Ben Affleck admitted that Joss Whedon’s version of Justice League which came out in 2017 was indeed trash. The actor revealed that once Zack Snyder was back in the field of directing DC movies (due to the pressure from the fans), Ben Affleck felt proud to be working alongside the director.

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Joss Whedon’s Justice League Left A Bad Taste For Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck hated the Justice League (2017).
Ben Affleck hated the Justice League (2017).

Related: ‘He’s busy filling those empty Shazam 2 seats’: James Gunn Having No Response to Zack Snyder’s SnyderVerse Announcement Convinces Fans the Two are No Longer ‘Best Buds’

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In the continued interview, the talk of cinemas and COVID-19 affecting theaters was put into the discussion. Although the talk was about some other movie, the interviewer asked Ben Affleck what went wrong with the 2017 movie Justice League. 

The actor went on to list several of the factors affecting the movie and then included Zack Snyder in the mix by calling him a silver lining at the end of the clouds.

“Justice League … You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth. The genius, and the silver lining, is that Zack Snyder eventually went to AT&T and was like, “Look, I can get you four hours of content.” And it’s principally just all the slow motion that he shot in black-and-white.”

The Daredevil actor continued,

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“And one day of shooting with me and him. He was like, “Do you want to come shoot in my backyard?” I was like, “I think there are unions, Zack. I think we have to make a deal.” But I went and did it. And now [Zack Snyder’s Justice League] is my highest-rated movie on IMDb.”

The above statements indeed proved Ben Affleck’s loyalty to visionary director Zack Snyder as the latter busies himself with his upcoming magnum opus Rebel Moon. As for Ben Affleck, there are rumors that he may return to Gunn’s DCU but nothing can be confirmed as of now.

Source: THR

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Written by Visarg Acharya

Articles Published: 2035

Visarg Acharya, Associate Content Writer, has been heavily involved in movies, series, and history. Having an experience of 2 years in the field of content writing, Visarg is a seasoned writer. Having a degree in Physics, Visarg Acharya has published a dissertation alongside a plethora of poems and short stories along the way.