Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has recently shared his candid thoughts on his decade-long journey with the character in an interview with GQ. He described his tenure within the Snyder-verse as an "excruciating experience," attributing his struggles to a complex relationship with DC that ultimately led to his disinterest in the superhero genre.
"There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained. "And they don't all have to do with the simple dynamic of, say, being in a superhero movie or whatever. I am not interested in going down that particular genre again, not because of that bad experience, but just: I've lost interest in what was of interest about it to me. But I certainly wouldn't want to replicate an experience like that."
Affleck has previously discussed his challenges with the role, but this interview sheds more light on the root of his dissatisfaction. He pinpointed a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" as a significant factor, while also acknowledging his own contribution to the negative experience. "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, in terms of why I had a bad experience, part of it is that what I was bringing to work every day was a lot of unhappiness," he confessed. He admitted that he wasn't contributing positively to the set, saying, "So I wasn't bringing a lot of positive energy to the equation. I didn't cause problems, but I came in and I did my job and I went home. But you've got to do a little bit better than that."
Affleck's journey with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to a series of appearances, including roles in Justice League (both the 2017 theatrical release and the 2021 Snyder Cut), The Flash, and a cameo in Suicide Squad. Despite plans for a standalone Batman film, which reportedly would have delved into 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly including Arkham Asylum and Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke, the project was eventually canceled.
Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but also revealed that his son played a crucial role in his decision. "But what happened was it started to skew too old for a big part of the audience. Like even my own son at the time was too scared to watch (Batman v. Superman). And so when I saw that I was like, 'Oh shit, we have a problem.' Then I think that's when you had a filmmaker that wanted to continue down that road and a studio that wanted to recapture all the younger audience at cross purposes. Then you have two entities, two people really wanting to do something different and that is a really bad recipe."
As DC moves forward, it is separating its storytelling into grittier and more lighthearted paths. The former will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the latter will be spearheaded by James Gunn's DCU, starting with Superman this July. However, fans should not anticipate Affleck returning to DC to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.
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