Ben Affleck entered the DC world with Zack Snyder’s 2016 film Batman vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice in which he portrayed the role of one of the most celebrated superheroes of the franchise, Batman. Although the film divided people down the center with positive and negative reactions, Affleck’s portrayal of Batman received universal praise from critics and audiences alike.
Following his successful turn as the Caped Crusader, Ben Affleck nurtured hopes of taking the character further through a standalone film. Despite having a good script, the film unfortunately did not materialize and ultimately developed into Matt Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson. But one of DC’s directors who rued the fact that the movie did not see the light of day, also revealed that it would have been one of the best projects in the franchise.
Ben Affleck’s Unmade Batman Film Could Have Been The Best Of The DC Franchise
Hollywood star Ben Affleck is not only known for his interesting roles, but also for his unique writing abilities and directorial skills. The Gone Girl star has produced, written, and helmed some of the industry’s best films and was almost in the running to make another memorable film involving his character Batman. Despite having an excellent script, the project did not materialize. Jay Olivia, a story board artist for DC and director of DC animated films like Batman Vs Robin and The Dark Knight Returns, spoke to Inverse about the loss that DC faced on account of not making Affleck’s Batman film.
“I can’t really say too much other than it was f*****g awesome. It was the best. It was amazing. I’ve worked on a lot of Batman things and what was really cool about it was, it was tying together a lot of really cool Batman storylines that had never been really explored”
Olivia went on to state that that the Oscar winner’s script involved multiple storylines over an 80- year period of the character’s history and would have brought forth a new perspective to Batman’s legacy. While it seems bleak that Ben Affleck will return to the franchise and the character, Olivia hoped that someday, the dormant script would be given a new lease of life.
Why Did Ben Affleck Step Away From His Promising Batman Script?
When Ben Affleck was first introduced as Batman in the DC film Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, audiences lapped up his presence and called him one of the best choices to play the iconic DC character. Despite the film receiving mixed responses, the Good Will Hunting star was invested in the Caped Crusader enough to write a standalone script for a Batman film. Unfortunately, between the backlash received for the other DC films including the controversial Justice League, the film did not see the light of day.
Furthermore, Affleck’s torrid time on the sets of Justice League which included creative clashes with step-in director Joss Whedon on the direction the film was moving, took a huge toll on the celebrity. The actor admitted that he resorted to alchoholism that was also brought on by his failing marriage to Jennifer Garner at the time. All these factors played a significant part in the Argo star bringing his involvement with the DC franchise and Batman to a close. Speaking candidly to The New York Times, Affleck said,
“I showed somebody The Batman’ script. They said, ‘I think the script is good. I also think you’ll drink yourself to death if you go through what you just went through again.’”
Ben Affleck also confessed that his time on the Justice League set was one of the worst experiences he faced as an actor and a significant reason that instigated him to give up on his dreams to develop a Batman film under the new James Gunn leadership.
Source: Inverse, The New York Times
