Ben Affleck on Realizing He Was Done as Batman: 'Oh S***, We Have a Problem'

Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has candidly shared his challenging experience with the character during his decade-long tenure with DC. In a recent interview with GQ, Affleck described his time as a key figure in the Snyder-verse as "a really excruciating experience," attributing his struggles to a complex relationship with the studio and a subsequent loss of 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 his experience, but in this interview, he delved deeper into the reasons behind his dissatisfaction. He pointed to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" as a major factor, while also taking personal responsibility for his part in the ordeal. "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. "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 forces with Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman. This led to numerous appearances in films such as the original and Snyder Cut versions of Justice League, The Flash, and a cameo in Suicide Squad. However, his planned standalone Batman movie was ultimately canceled. Rumors suggested the film might have explored 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, potentially delving into Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

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Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but he also mentioned that his own son played a 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 exploring new directions by separating its grittier and more lighthearted narratives. The darker tone will continue with The Batman 2 set to release in 2027, while the lighter side will be spearheaded by James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. However, fans should not anticipate Affleck's return to DC to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.