After many months of speculation, DCEU as the Dark Knight.
Endless speculation over the matter, coupled with internal troubles regarding the franchise’s future, not to mention the very public difficulties Affleck has been dealing with in his private life, made the recent news less than surprising to most fans. The solo Batman film, directed by Matt Reeves, will feature a new star in the role. Affleck tweeted out a story confirming the news, adding that he was exctied for what Reeves has in store.
Related: Why Ben Affleck Is Out As Batman (& Why It Took So Long)
Affleck’s two films as Bruce Wayne signaled a strange bump in the road for the character and DC franchise alike. While the news of his casting, fresh off his 2013 Oscar win for Best Picture with his directorial effort Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice typically singled out Affleck’s performance as a high point. Nobody ever put the weight of the DCEU’s problems on Affleck’s shoulders, but people also didn’t blame him for looking so checked out of the entire experience. By the time this news broke, his departure felt inevitable and somewhat unfair. Warner Bros. wasted a lot of goodwill and good ideas with the DCEU but the frittering away of Affleck’s potential felt especially sad.
- This Page: The Real Reasons Ben Affleck Became Batman
- Page 2: How Justice League And The Batman Wasted Ben Affleck
Ben Affleck Signed On For A Different DCEU Story
When Batman.
Affleck seeking to return to blockbuster glory wasn’t a surprise, especially given what Warner Bros. had originally promised him. Not only had he signed on for a radically different interpretation of the character, driven by Christopher Nolan). But it’s the interpretation of the character himself that seemed especially intriguing to Affleck, an actor with his pick of projects who would probably be a dream piece of casting for any franchise.
Related: The Best Ben Affleck Batman Replacements
Snyder's original vision for the role had Affleck starting out as a broken Bruce who was inspired to return to his Batman duties by Superman. Snyder also planned to take the unprecedented direction of Snyder cut of Justice League and how much the director’s vision was compromised throughout his run at DC, it’s perfectly understandable how such turmoil would leave Affleck feeling dissatisfied with his lot. After all, this wasn’t what he signed up for.
Page 2 of 2: How Justice League And The Batman Wasted Ben Affleck
Batman's Character Was Changed Drastically For Justice League
The disappointing reviews and box office for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice sent Warner Bros. on a panicky U-turn with the DCEU. Justice League. The film lost its original director and became a drastically different project from what was originally pitched, not to mention one with stark visual and tonal shifts that only further highlighted how the final product was clearly the work of two directors and a studio not on the same page.
Related: The Batman: Every Update You Need to Know
The most obvious changes for Affleck came with the Joss Whedon rewrites making Bruce a more jokey character. This wasn’t necessarily a terrible idea – the DCEU seriously needed more jokes – but it couldn’t help but feel like a massive change from how we’d seen Affleck as Bruce in Batman V Superman. A lot of the time, they felt like two different characters and neither really seemed to know what to do with Affleck. He had all the potential to be a great Batman and he gets to be a pretty good Bruce, but strange plotting and character decisions quickly overwhelmed the actors, not just Affleck.
Ben Affleck's Writing/Directing Contributions Were Wasted
The deal Affleck signed onto with Warner Bros. was an all-encoming creative breakthrough, the kind of collaborative effort very few stars get to work into their contracts, especially from the very beginning of their franchise run. It took many years before Robert Downey Jr., for example, got better pay and more sway over Tony Stark in the MCU. Not only would he play Batman but Affleck had signed on to direct and write his own solo film and serve as an executive producer on Justice League. Given how much of the DCEU in its early stages was built on establishing itself as a more director-driven franchise than the rigid mold of Marvel, having a post-Oscar Affleck on your team at the height of his powers was a smart move.
Affleck's creative involvement with the franchise slowly began to reduce. First, Affleck stepped down as director of The Batman in January 2017, citing a heavy workload and desire to focus more on the role itself. The following month, Matt Reeves signed on as his replacement, and by July, it was announced that Affleck's script would be completely rewritten. The depletion of Affleck’s own creative vision was a massive disappointment, especially since Affleck had proven himself as a writer and director (, he did win an Oscar for writing Good Will Hunting). For many, Affleck had more to offer the DCEU as a creative figure than an actor.
For Affleck, g onto a new superhero franchise after winning an Oscar should have been a home run. He had been put off doing so for many years after the mess he’d gone through with Daredevil, but in the new superhero age, this could have been a creative breakthrough for him. Ultimately, the franchise wasted him and Affleck spent most of his promotional cycles looking very sad, to the point where it became a meme. Affleck has publicly dealt with very difficult personal issues during his time as Batman, and the new direction of the DCEU seems far less focused on Batman than originally intended, so nobody can blame him for wanting to bow out now and let someone else take on the mantle. It’s just a shame that he never had the chance to truly show people what his Batman could have been.
