Apparently, Matt Damon saved himself while his pal Ben Affleck suited up for this superhero role only to regret it later. Earlier, the role of Daredevil was offered to Damon but he rejected it over some serious concerns.
Matt Murdock aka Daredevil is one of the most popular television superhero characters but the 2003 movie centering around the character was not good enough to be proud of. Even Affleck who played the blind vigilante regretted the role.
Real Reason Why Matt Damon Turned Down Daredevil
Right now, Matt Damon is one of the industry’s most prominent actors. He has appeared in a lot of movies across genres but interestingly, the actor never suited up for a superhero role. Well, he almost did when he was offered the role of the hero in the red suit. Talking to Variety, Damon revealed that he gave up the role because of the director as the actor was not familiar with his works.
“When that one came along, I chickened out because I couldn’t tell. I hadn’t seen the director’s work and I didn’t know. So I just said, ‘no,’” Damon told Variety.
Of course, Damon and his best pal Ben Affleck have grown up reading the Daredevil comics but The Martian actor was not eager to work with Mark Steven Johnson as the actor was careful about his reputation.
Damon, however, put something on the table for consideration for the movie. The actor knew the character was very interesting so, he added his condition to be in the movie only if the acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan sits on the director’s chair to direct him. “If Chris Nolan came up to me and said, ‘I want to do Daredevil,’ I would be in,” Damon said.
Perhaps, it was the right decision for Damon as the movie came to be pretty forgettable.
Ben Affleck Finally Played Daredevil
Affleck, however, saw potential in the film. After Damon’s rejection, the Air actor took over the role of Man without Fear. “Ben was like, ‘I ‘gotta do it,’” Damon said.
The Daredevil movie was not anything like Netflix’s Charlie Cox starrer series of the same name. Despite doing preferably well at the box office earning $179.2 million against the $78 million budget, the movie has received mixed reviews and became one of the forgettable cinematic experiences for viewers. “And the movie ended up doing very well, even though I don’t think Ben was ultimately very proud of it,” Damon said.
Affleck also shared his disappointment in being in the movie, “It just kills me. I love that story, that character,” Affleck told Playboy once. “And the fact that it got f*cked up the way it did stays with me,” he added.
Perhaps, the Gone Girl actor wanted to taste the pie of the superhero genre. However, the actor revealed that his disappointment in the role has motivated his DC Universe debut as a frontline superhero Batman, “Maybe that was part of the motivation to do Batman,” he said.
Affleck also reprised his Daredevil role in Jennifer Garner starrer 2005 movie Elektra, a spinoff of Affleck’s movie which also came out as a box office and critical disaster.
Source: Far Out.
