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, recently shared insights into his challenging experience with DC during an interview with GQ. After nearly a decade of portraying the Caped Crusader, Affleck described his time in the Snyder-verse as "a really excruciating experience." He attributed this to a complex relationship 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 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 with the role, but in this interview, he elaborated on the root causes. He pointed to a "misalignment of agendas, understandings, and expectations" within the project, while also acknowledging his own contributions to the difficulties. "I mean, my failings as an actor, you can watch the various movies and judge. But more of my failings, 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 that he wasn't bringing positive energy to the set, merely fulfilling his duties without adding much more.

Affleck's journey with DC began when he signed on to co-star in Zack Snyder's Batman v. Superman alongside Henry Cavill. This led to numerous appearances in various DC projects, including the original and Snyder Cut versions of Justice League, as well as a cameo in Suicide Squad. However, his planned standalone Batman film was ultimately canceled.

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Details about the canceled Batman movie remain sparse, though rumors suggest it might have explored themes around Arkham Asylum and possibly included Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke. Affleck credited longtime collaborator Matt Damon with helping him decide to leave the role, but also revealed 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."

DC is currently navigating a new direction, splitting its storytelling into grittier and more lighthearted paths. The darker narrative will continue with The Batman 2 in 2027, while the lighter tone will be explored in James Gunn’s DCU, starting with Superman this July. As for Affleck, he has made it clear that he will not return to direct a film in Gunn's new universe.