Ben Affleck, renowned for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, recently shared insights into his challenging tenure as the Caped Crusader in the DC universe. In a candid interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his nearly decade-long journey, labeling it as an "excruciating" experience. He pinpointed the root of his dissatisfaction to a multifaceted relationship with DC, which ultimately led him to lose interest in the superhero genre.
"There are numerous reasons why that was a really excruciating experience," Affleck explained, emphasizing that his struggles were not solely tied to the superhero film genre. He noted, "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 touched on these sentiments before, but his latest interview sheds more light on the source of his frustrations. He attributed much of the difficulty to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" within the DC project. He also took responsibility for his part in the equation, admitting, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."
Reflecting on his performance, Affleck said, "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 acknowledged that while he didn't cause overt problems, his contribution was merely functional, stating, "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 with his role in Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to a series of appearances, including cameos and the much-discussed but ultimately canceled standalone Batman film. Fans saw him in ensemble projects like Justice League (both the 2017 theatrical release and the 2021 Snyder Cut) and The Flash, as well as a brief role in Suicide Squad.
The 10 Best DCEU Movie Heroes
11 Images
Details on the shelved Batman movie remain sparse, but rumors suggest it might have delved into the lore of Arkham Asylum and possibly included Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke.
Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also highlighted his son's reaction to Batman v. Superman as a pivotal moment. "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.'"
He elaborated on the discord between creative visions, stating, "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 charts new courses, with darker narratives slated for The Batman 2 in 2027 and more lighthearted tales under James Gunn’s DCU starting with Superman this July, Affleck has made it clear he will not be returning to direct in Gunn's new universe.
