As Ben Affleck gears up for the release of his new film, Air, the actor/director sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and got very candid about his experience playing Batman for Zack Snyder’s DC universe as well as his future with the company after the change in regime. Affleck describes smaller movies, like Air and his previously released drama, The Way Back, as movies that aren’t working for audiences anymore, although those are the types of films he’s most interested in. The interviewer then asks, “As opposed to…?” and Affleck answers, “The Justice League experience.”
Affleck states that the stories became repetitive for him, and he found himself losing interest creatively. However, he also feels he finally nailed the character of Batman in the upcoming The Flash. “Yeah, I did finally figure out how to play that character [Batman], and I nailed it in The Flash. For the five minutes I’m there, it’s really great. A lot of it is just tone. You’ve got to figure out, ‘What’s your version of the person? Who is the guy that fits what you can do?’ I tried to fit myself into a Batman. And by the way, I like a lot of the stuff we did, especially the first one [Batman v Superman].”
He particularly outlines how the reshooting of Justice League as Joss Whedon took over was heartbreaking. “You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang onto… and most of it, you’re just standing against the computer screen going, ‘If this nuclear waste gets loose, we’ll …’ That’s fine. I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying.”
The interviewer then followed that by asking what if DC approached him to direct a movie now. Affleck bluntly responds,
I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. 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.”
After Batman v Superman, Ben was attached to direct a standalone film with his Batman character, but Justice League‘s tumultuous production left him with too sour a taste. “[Justice League] made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited.’ That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some shitty experiences. It broke my heart.”