With the transition at DC Films to the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran, some loose ends need clearing up. One loose end is Ben Affleck and his portrayal of Batman. In December, there were rumors and reports that Gunn had met up with Affleck to discuss the possibility of him directing a DC movie. Now, in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck has made his feelings very clear.
I would not direct something for the [James] Gunn DC. Absolutely not. I have nothing against James Gunn. Nice guy, sure he’s going to do a great job. I just wouldn’t want to go in and direct in the way they’re doing that. I’m not interested in that.
That might sound like an indictment on James Gunn, but the issues stem from how he felt about the reshoots on Justice League.
You could teach a seminar on all the reasons why this is how not to do it. Ranging from production to bad decisions to horrible personal tragedy, and just ending with the most monstrous taste in my mouth. The genius, and the silver lining, is that Zack Snyder eventually went to AT&T and was like, ‘Look, I can get you four hours of content,’ And it’s principally just all the slow motion that he shot in black and white. And one day of shooting with me and him. He was like, ‘Do you want to come shoot in my backyard?’ I was like, ‘I think there are unions, Zack. I think we have to make a deal.’ But I went and did it.
Affleck Goes Deeper On The Experience With DC
Ben Affleck went on with more detail about the idea of a box-office bomb like 2017’s Justice League being one of his highest-rated films (because of Zack Snyder’s Version from 2020).
All of a sudden I was getting congratulated for the bomb I’m in. But I was going to direct a Batman, and [Justice League] made me go, ‘I’m out. I never want to do any of this again. I’m not suited.’ That was the worst experience I’ve ever seen in a business which is full of some sh***y experiences.
You want to go to work and find something interesting to hang onto, rather than just wearing a rubber suit, and most of it you’re just standing against the computer screen going, ‘If this nuclear waste gets loose, we’ll…’ That’s fine. I don’t condescend to that or put it down, but I got to a point where I found it creatively not satisfying. Also just, you’re sweaty and exhausted. And I thought, ‘I don’t want to participate in this in any way. And I don’t want to squander any more of my life, of which I have a limited amount.’
Affleck will make what’s likely his last appearance in the DCU with The Flash. The future of DC was laid out earlier this year and James Gunn will direct the next Superman movie, Superman: Legacy.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
