Ben Affleck’s multifaceted ability to be a highly successful actor, writer, and director in Hollywood has made him one of the industry’s most popular and respected artists. While the star has been part of many commercial blockbusters as an actor, it is his writing and directing skills that have given him critical acclaim from fans and critics across the world. His writing efforts with friend and colleague Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting and his unique story in Argo won him the coveted Oscar.
While Ben Affleck has been a regular part of both big superhero franchises having played Daredevil and Batman in Marvel and DC respectively, the celebrity has refrained from directing high-profile films featuring such celebrated superheroes. Affleck, who had the opportunity to helm a Superman film, let go of the chance to direct a big-budget film featuring Batman.
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Ben Affleck Gave Up The Golden Opportunity To Direct Man Of Steel
Having directed and written masterpieces like Argo and Good Will Hunting, it seems like a natural progression for Ben Affleck to enter the realm of superheroes as a director with his unique take and aesthetic. The Gone Girl actor, while clearing up rumors about being approached to direct Man Of Steel, confessed that he was skeptical about making a film on a huge budget, which could then have less emphasis on the core of a narrative. This also was a reason for Affleck not wanting to direct a film like Blade Runner. To quote the star,
“I’d love to do something like Blade Runner, but a lesson I’ve learned is to not look at movies based on budget, how much they’ll spend on effects, or where they will shoot. The story is what’s important. Also, there are a lot of guys ahead of me on the list to do epic effects movies”.
The Town actor went on to praise Zack Snyder and producer of Man of Steel Christopher Nolan as the perfect choice to helm a Superman film and added that they did full justice to the movie and the character.
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Why Did Ben Affleck Step Down From Directing A Batman Film?
Apart from taking a miss at directing a film on Superman, Ben Affleck also let go of another mega project which involved the superhero that he portrayed so successfully in the DCEU. The Oscar winner was in line to helm the standalone Batman film, which ultimately transitioned into 2022’s The Batman starring Robert Pattinson and directed by Matt Reeves. Affleck’s original film was touted to be, in Reeves’ own words, very “action-driven and James Bond-ian”. One of the ways in which Affleck was expected to have created a 007-like world was by using the cool and suave Batman gadgets to function in the same way as the crime-fighting technology in a James Bond film.
In Affleck’s version, Batman would allegedly have been facing off against Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke in a climactic battle between the mercenary and the Caped Crusader, which would also see Batgirl joining the fray. Elaborating on his reasons for stepping down from the project, Affleck said,
“I looked at (directing Batman) and thought, “I’m not going to be happy doing this. The person who does this should love it.” You’re supposed to always want these things, and I probably would have loved doing it at 32 or something. But it was the point where I started to realize it’s not worth it.”
While Ben Affleck was recently viewed donning the Batman cape in The Flash, it remains to be seen how his involvement with the DCEU will pan out, especially after the huge changes made by James Gunn after taking over the franchise.
Source: Deadline
