In a candid interview with GQ, Ben Affleck, the star of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, delved into his challenging experience portraying the iconic Caped Crusader for DC. Reflecting on nearly a decade of donning the Batman mantle, Affleck described his tenure within the Snyder-verse as “a really excruciating experience.” He attributed this to a complex relationship with DC, which ultimately led to his waning interest 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 touched on this topic, but he now sheds more light on the root of his dissatisfaction. He pinpointed a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations” as a major issue, while also acknowledging his own contributions to the negative experience. “I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings of, 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 admitted. He further elaborated, “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 signed on to co-star in Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This role led to numerous cameos and even a canceled standalone Batman project. Fans will recall his appearances in various team-up films such as Justice League (both the 2017 original and 2021’s Snyder Cut), The Flash, and a brief role in Suicide Squad.
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Details about the canceled Batman film remain scarce, though rumors suggest it would have spanned 80 years of the Dark Knight’s history, possibly exploring Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.
Affleck credits longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also revealed in the GQ interview that his son played a significant part 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 navigates new directions, it is separating its grittier narratives from more lighthearted ones. The darker tone will continue with The Batman 2 slated for 2027, while the lighter side will be fully launched with James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman in July. However, fans should not anticipate Affleck returning to direct within Gunn’s new universe.
