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 candidly discussed his challenging experience as the Caped Crusader in the DC universe. During a recent interview with GQ, Affleck reflected on his nearly decade-long journey, describing it as “a really excruciating experience.” He attributed this to a complex dynamic with DC, which ultimately led to his disinterest in the superhero genre.

“There are a number of reasons why that was a really excruciating experience,” Affleck stated. “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 touched on these sentiments, but he now offers more insight into the reasons behind his struggles. He pointed to a “misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations” as a significant issue, acknowledging his own contributions to the problems. “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,” he admitted. He further noted, “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 association with DC began when he joined Zack Snyder’s Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. His tenure included multiple cameos and a canceled standalone Batman project. Fans will recall his appearances in team-up films such as the original Justice League in 2017, the 2021 Snyder Cut, and The Flash, as well as a brief role in Suicide Squad in 2016.

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While details on the canceled Batman film remain scarce, rumors suggest it might have delved into the lore of Arkham Asylum and potentially included Joe Manganiello’s Deathstroke.

Affleck credits longtime collaborator Matt Damon for helping him decide to retire from the role, but he also mentioned that his own son played a 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 charts a new course by separating its darker and more lighthearted narratives, fans can look forward to The Batman 2 in 2027 for the former, and the launch of James Gunn’s DCU with Superman this July for the latter. However, Affleck has confirmed he will not be returning to DC to direct a film in Gunn’s new universe.