Ben Affleck recently discussed how the troubled production of Justice League led to his exit from the role of Batman.
After Ben Affleck made his first appearance as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, his performance was heralded by many as the best depiction of the DC Comics icon in a live-action film to date. However, those fans were disheartened when Ben Affleck officially announced he will no longer play Batman after having already stepped out of the director’s chair for the Caped Crusader’s next cinematic solo outing.
During an interview with GQ, Ben Affleck reflected on the reason he decided to step away from the role of Batman after Justice League. While director Zack Snyder’s exit from the film during the post-production phase is well documented, Ben Affleck seemed to suggest the filmmaker’s departure was just one of many problems Justice League faced over the course of its production:
“Justice League was unfortunately touched by some personal tragedy — a death in (director) Zack’s [Synder] family. And like I say, sometimes things sort of work and gel and sometimes you seem to be having one problem after another.”
While Ben Affleck noted that he enjoyed his time playing the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman, he got burned out after working on Justice League. Consequently, Ben Affleck explained that he stepped away from the role after realizing the Batman project deserved someone who was enthusiastic about it:
“I had my fill of that. They said, ‘Would you like to direct and star in a solo Batman movie?’ And I found that, at some point, I had lost my enthusiasm or passion for it. And I thought this should really be made by someone who for whom it’s their wildest dream come true. It was clear to me it was time to move on.”
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Here is the official synopsis for Justice League:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Directed by Zack Snyder, Justice League stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J. K. Simmons, and Ciarán Hinds.
Justice League is now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital HD.
Source: GQ (via The Hollywood Reporter)
