Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, recently shared insights into his challenging journey with the DC franchise during an interview with GQ. After nearly a decade of embodying the Caped Crusader, Affleck described his experience within the Snyder-verse as "excruciating." He elaborated on how his strained relationship with DC contributed 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 discussed this topic, but he now attributes his negative experience to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations." He also acknowledged his own role in the situation, admitting that he wasn't contributing positively to the project. "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 reflected. "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 tenure with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to numerous cameo appearances and a planned standalone Batman film that ultimately never materialized. Fans will recall his roles in ensemble projects like Justice League (both the 2017 theatrical release and the 2021 Snyder Cut), as well as The Flash and a brief appearance in Suicide Squad.
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While details on the canceled Batman movie remain scarce, speculation suggests it might have delved into the history of the Dark Knight over 80 years, possibly involving Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.
Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also mentioned that his son played a significant 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."
DC is currently navigating a new direction by separating its grittier and more lighthearted narratives. The darker tone will continue with The Batman 2 slated for 2027, while the lighter side will be spearheaded by James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has confirmed he will not be returning to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.
