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

In a candid interview with GQ, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice star Ben Affleck opened up about his challenging experience playing the iconic Caped Crusader for DC over the past decade. Describing his tenure as part of the Snyder-verse as "a really excruciating experience," Affleck revealed how a complex relationship with DC led to his waning interest in the superhero genre.

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

Affleck has previously discussed his struggles, but in this interview, he provided more insight into the reasons behind his negative experience. He attributed much of it to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations," but also acknowledged his own role in the situation. Reflecting on his time with DC, he admitted, "I wasn’t bringing anything particularly wonderful to that equation at the time, either."

Elaborating on his shortcomings, Affleck said, "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings of, 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. His subsequent roles included cameos and appearances in team-up projects like the original Justice League (2017), the Snyder Cut (2021), and The Flash, as well as a brief appearance in Suicide Squad (2016). However, a standalone Batman project was ultimately canceled.

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While details about the canceled Batman film are scarce, rumors suggest it would have delved into 80 years of the Dark Knight's history, possibly exploring Arkham Asylum and involving Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to step away from the role, but also mentioned that his own son played a significant role in his decision. "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 separating its grittier and more lighthearted stories into distinct paths. The darker tone will continue with The Batman 2 set to release in 2027, while the lighter side of the DC Universe (DCU) will launch with Superman this July under the direction of James Gunn. However, fans should not expect to see Affleck return to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.