Ben Affleck: 'Oh S***, We Have a Problem' - The Moment He Knew He Was Done as Batman

Ben Affleck, known for his role as Batman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, has shared his candid thoughts on his challenging experience portraying the Caped Crusader in the DC universe. In a recent interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his decade-long stint as the iconic superhero, describing it as a "really excruciating experience." He attributed this to a complex dynamic with DC, which has ultimately led to his disinterest in the superhero genre.

Affleck explained, "There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience, 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."

He has touched on this topic before, but now he provides deeper insight into the source of his dissatisfaction. Affleck pointed to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" as a primary cause, while also acknowledging his own role in the situation. He admitted, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."

Reflecting on his performance, Affleck said, "My failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, 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. 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 Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This role led to numerous cameos and the eventual cancellation of his solo Batman project. His appearances extended to team-up films like the original Justice League in 2017, the 2021 Snyder Cut, and The Flash, as well as a brief role in 2016’s Suicide Squad.

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Regarding the abandoned Batman film, details remain sparse, but it was rumored to span 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly delving into Arkham Asylum and featuring Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role. However, he also mentioned that his son's reaction to Batman v. Superman played a significant role in his decision. He shared, "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 carving out distinct paths for its darker and more lighthearted stories. The darker narrative will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the lighter tone will be introduced with James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. Affleck has confirmed that he will not return to DC to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.