Ben Affleck Reveals His Future With DC And It’s A Shocker
Ben Affleck revealed he won't be directing any movies for DC now that James Gunn is in charge, citing philosophical differences with the new co-CEO.
Ben Affleck is hanging up his Batsuit. He will make his final appearance as the Caped Crusader in this summer’s The Flash, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck squashed rumors about him returning to DC as a director. “I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC,” he asserted. “Absolutely not.”
“I have nothing against James Gunn,” Affleck continued. “Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.” Ben Affleck was supposed to direct The Batman for DC, but dropped the project in 2017 after a sour experience making Justice League.
After Affleck left the director’s chair, he intended to stick around to star in the movie. Eventually, the project was taken over by Matt Reeves, and Robert Pattinson donned the cape and cowl for a whole new take on the character. Affleck said his time on Justice League broke his heart.
Ben Affleck admitted that his work on DC films, and Justice League in particular, broke his heart. The movies took him away from his family for long periods of time and, after a while, became unfulfilling. He did not pull punches describing his experience, deriding his uncomfortable rubber suit and the films’ repetitive stories, but he still respects the genre. “I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying.”
Despite the collapse of the DCU, Ben Affleck still had some nice things to say about his time with DC. For instance, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is now Ben Affleck’s highest-rated movie on IMDb. He also had exciting things to say about his part in The Flash.
“Yeah, I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman],” he said, “and I nailed it in The Flash. For the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great.” Ben Affleck’s DC experience left a bitter taste in his mouth, but looking back, he learned a lot about who he is and what he wants out of life. “And by the way,” he added, “I like a lot of the stuff we did, especially the first one [Batman v Superman].”
Now that Ben Affleck has his time at DC behind him, the former Batman is balancing new dual identities: family man and CEO. Affleck and his longtime collaborator Matt Damon founded Artists Equity, a new production company with a mission to make high-quality films on lean budgets while including key crew members in the profit sharing typically reserved for actors, directors, writers, and producers.
Affleck had a lot of reasons for starting Artists Equity. Chiefly, calling the shots allows him to make time for his family; his job now works around his schedule. And after a few decades in the movie business, he knows a thing or two about how to make a good movie. As the industry evolves, so do its economics, and Ben Affleck saw an opportunity to leave DC and carve out a special place in the industry where he could keep making the movies he likes to watch.
The first effort from Artists Equity is Air, the story of Nike’s 1980s shoe deal with Michael Jordan that changed basketball shoes forever. The film is directed by Ben Affleck, who stars alongside Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, and Chris Tucker. Affleck and Damon’s grand experiment hits theaters on April 5, 2023.
Ben Affleck has been expected to leave DC as Batman since Henry Cavill was booted as Superman. Every actor in the current DC lineup has been in line to get the ax. The news that Affleck won’t return to direct for DC is more of a shock, as he had reportedly been in talks to come back for a superhero film.
The best chance the world may have to see Ben Affleck in tights again is Ryan Reynolds convincing him to suit up as Daredevil in Deadpool 3. Either way, plenty of Ben Affleck is on the way, just not for DC.
